


The Wings of an Angel

by TheCartoonFanatic01



Category: Angel Beats!
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Developing Relationship, Dramedy, F/M, Future Fic, Near Future, Past Relationship(s), Reincarnation, Sequel to Anime, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2020-10-19 11:23:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 287,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20656436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCartoonFanatic01/pseuds/TheCartoonFanatic01
Summary: His time in the Afterlife now over, Otonashi has been reincarnated into Arata Takahashi, an average paperboy whose life just sucks all around. However, all of that changes when he is forced to meet Chouko Hashimoto, the silver-haired daughter of a successful businessman. Why is it that he feels he knows her despite her being a complete stranger? R&R! I DON'T OWN ANGEL BEATS!





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Welcome to my first "Angel Beats!" fic! Much like "The Way We Will Be" of the Pokémon fandom, this is cross-posted from FanFiction.Net.
> 
> Before we begin, let me make a super-long, super-detailed explanation about certain elements of the story, for those of you who are reading this for the first time. And I SERIOUSLY recommend you read first before diving into the story. If you don't, there may or may not be a whole lot of confusion headed your way, depending on how well your comprehension is.
> 
> As to where the fic's premise comes from, this is obviously my spin on what happened during the events of the epilogue in Episode 13. I've read a lot of similar fics for inspiration, and while I absolutely loved all of them, I saw that they all had one few thing in common: the characters have all retained their names from their previous lives, which are practically being repeated. I mean, obviously, it is meant to tell the readers who is who in the world of the living, but considering everyone in SSS has been reincarnated, I have found it to be somewhat unrealistic for them to just be reincarnated back into their previous lives. I mean, I fully understand that the whole concept of death was not fully elaborated upon in the anime, but because of that, that's just how I feel about the whole thing. And besides, I always aim for my first stories in any fandom to be unique from others that have similar plots.
> 
> As a result, I've created new identities for the entire cast of "Angel Beats!", complete with full names. Now don't worry, they'll all regain their memories midway into the story, but for now, you will have to deal with these "new characters" for the time being. To avoid any confusion, I have compiled a comparison chart for the characters' old names and new names. I intend to post this chart at the beginning of every chapter so if someone gets pretty confused on which character has the name Arata Takahashi, for example, they could refer back to the chart and find out who has that name. It should be quite plain and simple, so I'm very confident there won't be any stress that'll be brought by the confusion. In addition, I've picked names that sound similar enough to the original names.
> 
> For the prologue, the chart is starting off with six names: Yuzuru Otonashi, Kanade Tachibana, Yuri Nakamura, Hideki Hinata, Ayato Naoi, and Masami Iwasawa, since all of them will have a significant amount of focus within the story. The chart shall be updated every time we learn a new character's SSS identity, but that will kick off midway into the story, when the ultimate reveal is made. Until then, the only six characters you will be able to distinguish easily will be the ones that I just mentioned. In the meantime, you will have to guess who's who in the midst of OCs I'm gonna hurl your way, since I'm sadistic and all that. :P
> 
> Anyway, enough with the super-long introduction! On with the chapter now. ENJOY!
> 
> Disclaimer: I DO NOT own "Angel Beats!" All claims of ownership go to Jun Maeda, P.A. Works, and Aniplex!

**PROLOGUE**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

* * *

**April 11, 2026**

* * *

**Bedroom of Arata Takahashi  
Takahashi Household**

"Arata-kun, wake up! You're gonna be late for your work! This is the last time I'm gonna tell you that, mister!"

On his bed, sixteen-year-old Arata Takahashi turned on his side underneath his soft covers and moaned loudly, irritated at the start of another morning for him. If there was one thing that he absolutely hated the most during his daily routine, then it'd be having to wake up after a long night of nice, tranquil sleep, hands down. It annoyed him to no possible end; he even preferred eating his least favorite dish over waking up. And, to make matters worse, he would always have to leave that desirable state of carefree peace whenever he was having a rather good dream, whatever it was.

"Late for work?" Takahashi asked to himself, remembering the warning he received. "Wonder what the hell she means by that..."

Exhausted, Takahashi lifted his arm in a half-hearted manner, allowing his hand to search for his clock. Once his fingers touched the familiar metallic surface, he turned the clock face so he could see the numbers. Upon seeing them, he yawned and rubbed his eyes, wondering if his misread that.

He didn't. 8:55 A.M.

"HOLY CRAP!" Takahashi shouted in horror as he leaped out of his bed and rushed to his closet, opening the door with such force that the mirror on it trembled. "I AM GONNA BE LATE, I'M GONNA BE LATE, I'M GONNA BE **LATE**!" Desperately, he started picking the articles of clothing that were in easy reach, simultaneously trying to take off his sleepwear in the process. "OH GOD, OH MY GOD, CAN'T BE LATE, CAN'T BE LATE, CAN'T BE **LATE**!"

"Arata-kun, are you okay?" the same voice called. "Do you need some help?"

"I'm fine, Mom!" Takahashi yelled back. "I've got this!" Then, he added, with emphasized frustration, "AND STOP CALLING ME ARATA-KUN!"

His mother didn't respond, leaving Takahashi to sigh and resume his activities.

Finally managing to take off all of his sleepwear, Takahashi began to dress up. As he did so, he thought bitterly to himself, _"Great. I am sixteen years old, almost turning seventeen, and my mom is _still_ asking if I need some help with my damn _clothes_. Like I'm a little kid! Can't wait till I finally get myself out of this house..."_

He finished putting on his clothes and quickly left the bedroom, brushing aside a lock of red hair that hung before his eye as he did so. As he traveled down the short staircase, Takahashi could hear the old family television set blaring. He was still surprised that a thing from sixteen years ago could still work in a time like this. The television seemed to be on a news channel that was covering a top story, apparently about some killer cult, but Takahashi didn't care the slightest.

"Good, you're awake!"

A middle-aged woman who had hair colored in the same scarlet as Takahashi's, wearing a blue dress with a polka-dotted apron, stepped beside the staircase's base. She crossed her arms and gave Arata a frown of disapproval as he passed her and rushed into the kitchen, where he found a plate of his breakfast lying on his usual side of the table, no doubt made by his mother during his slumber. However, Takahashi stopped dead after seeing what his mother had prepared.

"Uh, Mom?..." he asked.

"Yeah, I know you don't like Mápó dòufu, Arata-kun," the woman replied as she stepped into the kitchen, removing her apron as she did so, "but it's either that or that expired cereal that's sitting in the back of the food cabinet. Now, just eat it up, mister. You're gonna be late as it is, Arata-kun."

"Stop calling me Arata-kun, Mom..." the redheaded teenager sighed.

"Well, as long as you're in this house, then I can call you whatever I wish. And Arata-kun suits me best. So don't argue with me, mister. Now, eat up!"

Takahashi grumbled to himself. He loved his mother like any other son would, but whenever it was one of his busy days, either at school or at his part-time job, and things weren't going well for him, then she would go bonkers on him. It didn't surprise him to know the reason why; the job he had and the money it paid were practically the only things that kept them in their house and not out on the cold and unforgiving streets.

He waited until his mother left the kitchen to watch the old television set. Once she did, he stood up and rushed to the sink, emptying the entire plate of all the food that it held, all the while imitating the best slurping and munching sounds as he possibly could. Once all the food was down the drain, Takahashi turned on the sink to clean up any remnants of the dish that were still there. Then, he deactivated the water, finished off anything that might've remained in the drainage pipe with the sink's waste disposal system, grabbed the bag slung over his chair, and hurriedly walked over towards the front door.

"Alright-I'm-done-gotta-go-bye!" exclaimed Takahashi quickly as he unlocked the door, opened it, and left the house.

"Be careful, Arata-kun!" the mother replied, even though it was seconds after Takahashi closed the door.

Outside the house, Takahashi hopped on his bicycle, put on his helmet, and began to pedal down the concrete sidewalk. As he did, he looked around to survey the neighborhood he was in. He honestly couldn't believe that, much like the family's TV set, all of the houses comprising his neighborhood were made of more simpler construction materials that seemed more appropriate for twenty, maybe even thirty years ago, in comparison to the other neighborhoods that boasted more advanced construction. Takahashi could vividly remembered all of the pictures of buildings built during the 1990s and 2000s, pictures that he saw in all of his history textbooks; to him, it was as if he was living in that approximate timeline instead of the modern-day world. And it displeased him.

* * *

**Nishitōkyō, Japan**

As he pedaled into Nishitōkyō, Takahashi noticed a paperboy riding his own bicycle, pedaling across the street in order to get to his destination. Being a normal paperboy too, Takahashi could not help but severely dislike that job, for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, his boss was a total pain in the ass, as if his schoolteachers weren't enough for him. Secondly...he could not see the worth of that job, seeing that the newspaper industry continued to operate right under the looming shadow of the so-called 'digital age'. It surprised (and actually distressed) Takahashi to know that newspapers were actually still a bit of a trend.

If Arata Takahashi had one honest truth that he upheld and always would till the day he died, it would be the fact that he wasn't that much of a big fan in stuff that originated from the olden days, products of previous generations. He dismissed them all as trash that the previous generations had forgotten to pick up, in his own words. This dislike undoubtedly stemmed from his strict upbringing in the rather simple, almost primitive environment that was his house, accompanied by a mounting childhood desire to learn more about the technological advancements that he kept hearing about from day to day.

It really didn't help him to know that he was working a job that should've been anything but alive by now.

Takahashi sighed in frustration and closed his eyes for a brief second.

"TAKAHASHI!" a voice bellowed. "TAKAHASHI, STOP, **STOP**!"

However, it was too late: Takahashi collided into a short and stocky man with a balding scalp, a graying black mustache, and squinted eyes that were radiating pure intimidation. Both fell onto a nearby stack of newspapers, causing it to collapse and bury the man neck-deep in dozens of copies.

Groaning and holding his head, Takahashi then realized who he ran into; he exclaimed desperately, "Oh, I'm SO sorry, Itagaki-sensei!"

Itagaki blinked, seemingly in disbelief, and then stared at Takahashi, his eyes burning with rage.

"You are _late_, Takahashi," he snarled savagely. "You are goddamn _late_. I was actually _this goddamn close_ to firing your goddamn sorry _ass_. Then, you _finally_ show up, but when you do, BOOM! I am sitting on _my_ goddamn ass, buried neck-deep in a pile of _my_ goddamn newspapers, and you're whining like a goddamn baby, giving _me_ goddamn APOLOGIES! Do you have any goddamn idea of the time it took to _make_ this goddamn stack, Takahashi?! HUH?!"

"I am SO sorry, Itagaki-sensei!" repeated Takahashi as he stood up and began picking up the newspapers. "I'll stack them again."

"You better goddamn _do_ that, _Takahashi_," Itagaki growled in pure loathing as he stood up and dusted his clothes. "I paid a WHOLE lotta good money and effort in having those goddamn newspapers made and then stacked with that precision. And after you do that lil' chore, you have your goddamn paper route to take care of. And because of your goddamn late arrival here, as well as the fact that you were delayed by rearranging that goddamn newspaper stack, that means I am gonna have to cut your pay for today in..._half_. Consider yourself goddamn lucky that I didn't make it three-fourths, let alone a hundred goddamn percent!"

With that, Itagaki stormed off, his face flushed with a bright crimson. Sighing in relief, Takahashi resumed rearranging the newspaper stack.

"Need a little help with that, Arata?" a voice asked.

Takahashi smiled and looked across his shoulder to see the teenage girl with chin-length pink-red hair, who was standing a few feet away from him, smiling.

"Hey, Hasumi," he greeted. "Yeah, I'm probably gonna need some help on this."

Hasumi stepped forward and began picking up several of the newspapers alongside Takahashi, who merely continued looking at her. Hasumi was his coworker and also a fellow classmate of his at their high school. And admittedly, he had a rather big crush on her, although his hopes would always be dashed whenever she viewed their relationship as nothing more than a friendship, being blissfully unaware of his true feelings. Plus, there was...

"I apologize for my father..._again_..." she said.

"Why does he have to be such a pain in the ass?" moaned Takahashi. "I try my best. And how am I repaid? Only shouts and insults being thrown my way!"

"Well, he obviously doesn't really like you that much. Far from it."

"Heh. Well _that's_ the news of the century."

"Yeah, well you should see him at home. Nothing but complaints." Hasumi looked at Takahashi. "Why were you late, anyway?" she asked. "You're never late."

"I guess I must have overslept last night."

"Why in the world would you oversleep?"

"Uh...it's the _week__end_, Hasumi."

Hasumi chuckled, then shrugged dismissively. "Doesn't excuse anything, especially when you have a daytime job to attend to every day."

Takahashi suddenly imagined himself hugging empty air as tears cascaded down his face, his breath growing shorter and desperate by the second...only that it actually _wasn't_ him. Shaking his head to clear it of the strange thoughts, he resumed picking up newspapers.

As he did, he glanced at Hasumi, who was bent down as she picked up the newspapers near her. Strands of her hair fell down from her shoulders in a manner that Takahashi found rather graceful in its own right. Cracking a small smile, he remembered something that happened yesterday, something that he had been hoping would present a perfect opportunity for him to finally be able to confess his long-withheld feelings to Hasumi.

"Hey, Hasumi?" he piped.

She looked at him; he was briefly fascinated by her eyes. "Yes?"

_"Be calm, Arata. This is _not _a date. It's just a friendly thing. You can't rush things just yet. Just ask her out _as a friend_... Not all that hard to do, right?"_

He replied, "I have two tickets to a midnight concert of _The White Crow_. I know how much you love their music, so...I thought I'd take you along with me there-"

Hasumi smiled sadly. "Oh, I'm sorry, Arata. I already have a ticket, and my friends all took the remaining three tickets. Hey, maybe I'll see you there?"

"Yeah, yeah...maybe you will..." lied Takahashi. Then, he added in his thoughts, _"At least she didn't bring him with her. That's good..."_

Unfortunately, as he was distracted, the wind picked up and blew some of them away, much to his misfortune.

"GODDAMN IT, TAKAHASHI! LOOK AT THOSE GODDAMN NEWSPAPERS GO! GO AND GET 'EM, GODDAMN IT!"

"Y-Y-Yes, sir," stuttered Takahashi nervously before sprinting off to catch up with them.

_"Man, this life totally sucks ass,"_ he thought with frustration as he caught up with the first newspaper and struggled to pick it up, only for it to continue fluttering away from his reach, as if it were mocking him and his efforts. It didn't take long till a small crowd gathered and began laughing at his antics.

_"Aw, great. Now everyone's laughing at me like I'm an idiot. My house sucks, my living sucks, my job sucks, everyone and everything around me sucks...Hasumi's an exception, but I can only get so far with her... If I had the chance to redo my life within my grasp, I'd take it in a flash. ...Aw man, if only that were so..."_

* * *

**Bedroom of Chouko Hashimoto  
** **Hashimoto Manor**

Chouko Hashimoto opened her eyes and found herself staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. The bright sunlight was shining through the elegant window of her bedroom, bathing her eyes in its golden warmth. She blinked a couple of times before sitting up on her bed, an emotionless expression etched on her face, like engraved stone as it usually was. Letting out an indifferent sigh, she stared out of the window longingly, strands of her long silver hair falling down to her face.

"Chouko-chan!" a female voice called. "Your breakfast is ready, hot and fresh!"

"I'm coming, Junna-san," replied Chouko indifferently. Then, she whispered to herself, "On time, as always."

She got out of her bed, straightened out her silver hair, and then looked out of the window again. The sun was high in the sky, continuing to shine without any hindrance of clouds. If there was one thing that she liked about the day, it was the sun, plain and simple. It was so beautiful with its light. She couldn't possibly imagine her life without it, since it was practically one of very few things in existence that could make her life worth it.

After dressing up in her indoors attire, Chouko left her bedroom and stepped out into the hallway, watching as Fuuta walked out of his own, looking a bit tired, but no doubt rather dissatisfied that his peaceful sleep had been interrupted unceremoniously. His signature Mao cap hung over his eyes. She approached him, her trademark emotionless expression still etched on her face, but she knew very well that he could read through that facade like one would with a book.

"Good morning, Fuuta," she greeted, her voice stoic, as always. "I hope you had an exceptionally enjoyable sleep."

"Far from it, actually, to tell you the truth," he replied bitterly. However, he let out a short, hollow laugh before coolly flicking away strands of his dark-green hair that were handing in front of his face. "But...I guess it beats having to wake up every morning and help out Mom with all the chores."

"Come. Your mother has already prepared breakfast for us."

"Whatever you say, Chou-kee."

Chouko looked at Fuuta, her golden eyes glimmering. "I believe this marks the 700,000th time I've requested you to stop calling me by that ridiculous name."

"You counted, as usual." Fuuta shrugged and sighed. By that time, he and Chouko were traveling down the long, winding staircase that encircled a column like a snake constricting its prey. "Why is it that I'm not all that surprised?" He looked at his longtime friend. "Chouko, you know I'm just pulling your leg."

"Your sense of humor has always been rather strange and unimpressive, Fuuta."

"_Any_ sense of humor would be strange and unimpressive to you, Chouko. For once in your life, can't you find the time to loosen up and just have a little fun?"

"I do have a little fun."

Fuuta sighed again. "You call spending hours reading a book or doing your schoolwork _fun_, Chouko?"

"I have to commit to what is required of me," Chouko replied, her voice even more monotonous and emotionless than before, as if she was reciting a script that she was extremely bored with. "As the heir to the Hashimoto legacy, company, and fortune, I must continue to sustain my lineage."

Fuuta let out an annoyed sigh. "Stop acting like you're hypnotized or something, Chouko. We both know that's a load of bull."

Chouko stopped before she could reach the base of the staircase; she began to ponder Fuuta's words.

Being the daughter of a wealthy businessman, and a member of the city's prestigious upper class, surprisingly did not grant Chouko any outstanding merits, as she felt like she didn't truly belong in such a community. After all, her parents were never really there for her because of their work, she was a social outcast at the private school she attended, and even outside of school did she not have any friends, except for Fuuta Ukiyo and his mother Junna, one of the housemaids.

It was definitely not much of a pleasurable life, and Chouko might've as well escaped from the bleak, meaningless requirements it demanded. She really would have. That is, if it were not for her strict and demanding father, who had the whole police department clutched in his hand and would undoubtedly use all of his influence on them to move heaven and Earth in their efforts to find her and bring her back to him.

It was therefore most logical for Chouko to merely play out her part, with the hope of some sort of miraculous intervention.

"But what else can I do?" she asked, her voice laced with a tone of complete resignation as she looked at the floor blankly. "I have no expectations that I could truly call my own. Without the name of Hashimoto, I am..._nothing_." Her eyes softened as she narrowed them. "But with the name of Hashimoto, though, I'm the future owner and CEO of Japan's largest multimedia corporation, also one of the largest in the world, and in addition, all of the other successful businesses and enterprises in which my father holds the majority of their stocks." She looked up at Fuuta. "What else do I have to do?"

"You have your crazy-good piano skills!" exclaimed Fuuta, who was evidently becoming increasingly frustrated.

"One can only go so far with such skills."

"And that person will be YOU. I've heard you play, Chouko! People would go absolutely NUTS with you! Concerts would be sold out because everyone would-"

"Stop," Chouko interrupted coldly.

"No, I am NOT gonna end this talk again like this! Chouko, you-"

"I said _stop_."

"I am _serious_, Chouko-"

"_Stop_."

"We both know that your dad just has his head _way_ too up in his ass for him to know-"

"Fuuta Ukiyo."

However, the latest sentence was spoken by someone else. Fuuta's blood ran as cold as the Arctic the moment he heard the booming, masculine voice. With a fearful squeak, the teenage boy looked behind him and saw the towering figure of Sadahiro Hashimoto looking down upon him, a tight frown on his face.

"Uhhhhh..." Fuuta's eyes widened, and his lower jaw was sliding further open by the minute. "H-H-He-Hey... G-Good morning, Hashimoto-sensei..."

Sadahiro let out a dissatisfied snort. "Well, I must say that I'm surprised to hear such deplorable nonsense being sputtered by the son of my best maid, and in the process of an especially lovely morning like this." He then looked at Chouko, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "And what's this about piano skills, Chouko? Please tell me you aren't messing around with Junna-san's piano again. How many times have I told you that you are _forbidden_ to play it?!"

"Twenty-two times, Father," Chouko replied honestly; Fuuta sweat-dropped at her honesty.

"How many times must I keep telling you this, over and over again, before you finally listen to your senses, Chouko?" asked Sadahiro, crossing his arms. "Fifty? A hundred? A _thousand_?" He sighed and shook his head with disapproval. "A Hashimoto has no use for a mere instrument like a piano."

"A Hashimoto has complete and unanimous use for controlling the media and the entertainment industry, the two most pivotal things in today's Japan," Chouko replied. However, once again, it sounded more like she was reciting from a script that she was dissatisfied with.

Fuuta narrowed his eyes in anger, but Sadahiro smiled proudly.

"Exactly," Sadahiro replied proudly. "Now, I can only hope you remember those words the next time you approach Junna-san's piano, is that clear?"

"Yes, Father. It is as clear as a crystal."

"Good. Now come. Your breakfast is getting cold. We don't want Junna's work to go to waste."

The two teenagers followed Sadahiro towards the kitchen. As they did so, Chouko felt Fuuta approach her.

"What the hell, Chouko?" he whispered angrily. "You haven't even played the piano recently!"

"Yes, I am aware of that, Fuuta," she replied calmly.

"Then why'd you set yourself up like that?! You could've just told him the truth!"

"Yes, I am aware of that. It was just illogical to disappoint him."

Fuuta's eyes widened in horror at her response. "I-I-_Illogical_?"

"Yes, illogical. Say I were to indulge Father in the truth. He would then direct all of his rage at you for the derogatory statement you made about him. You would be subjected to his special punishment of running around the manor's perimeter for hours on end, without ever stopping, and I can remember your displeasure at such a punishment. In addition, he would possibly launch aspersions against your mother, the one who is educating you and shaping your behavior."

"I'd take all of _that_ over you taking a fall for something you never did, Chouko! At least _that_ would've been the truth!"

"Arguing with me isn't going to rectify what transpired, Fuuta. It is fruitless. Let's just let it go and enjoy our breakfast."

Fuuta was silent as the three entered the large kitchen, where Chouko's mother, as well as the butlers and maids of the house, were already gathered.

"What was with the delay?" Chouko's mother, a petite woman who shared her daughter's hair, asked.

"Oh, I was just giving Chouko another lecture about using Junna-san's piano," replied Sadahiro. "She just admitted to playing it again."

The mother shook her head in disapproval. "What is this, the thirtieth time your father lectured you about the piano, Chouko?"

"Twenty-second, actually," Chouko said indifferently.

"Oh no, please Hashimoto-sensei!" exclaimed a maid who was sitting beside Fuuta; she was stocky and had short yellow hair, with a kind and pleasurable face. "Chouko-chan is perfectly free to play my piano whenever she desires. There is no harm that can come from her doing so."

"I appreciate your kindness, Junna-san," Sadahiro replied courteously, "I really do, but my daughter has way too much precious time on her hands to be able to concern herself with such trivial matters like playing your piano. She is now sixteen, a really important age for her. At this point, she must start preparing herself for what awaits her: a world of business, success, and vast influence." He patted Chouko's head fondly as he smiled. "As a Hashimoto, it is rather traditional for members of our lineage to prepare themselves at such an age, with no other concerns; it has always been that way ever since her great-great-grandfather."

"I understand, Hashimoto-sensei, but-"

Sadahiro's voice was much stern this time. "Again, I appreciate your kindness, Junna-san, but I've already spoken on the matter. Chouko has a bright future on her way, and under no circumstances can, or should it be hindered. Now, let us not disturb this breakfast any further and resume, shall we?"

"Yes, Hashimoto-sensei..."

Chouko watched as Junna sat down, a glimmer of disappointment in her eyes. She briefly looked at Fuuta and saw that he was glaring back at her scathingly.

_"I know you're infuriated, Fuuta. __My apologies. It was just..._illogical_. That's all."_

* * *

**Bedroom of Kimiko Nishimura  
** **Nishimura Household**

Kimiko Nishimura groaned with frustration as the ringing of her alarm clock pierced the silent atmosphere of her bedroom, disturbing her tranquil sleep. Turning over on her side, she lifted her arm and slammed it down on the clock, deactivating the alarm. Then, she turned over on her other side and, with a sigh of relief, resumed her sleep. She just didn't have the time to wake up, especially not on a nice, warm weekend day like this.

Preoccupied with her tranquil sleep, she barely heard the door to her bedroom open. But once she registered what the sound was, she knew it was too late.

"WAKE UP, WAKE UP, ONEE-CHAN!" a boy shouted in her ear. "WAKE UP!"

"AGH!" Kimiko screamed in surprise as she quickly sat up on her bed. Then, she glared angrily at her younger brother, Kaisei, who was giggling. "KAISEI-CHAN! My GOD! I _told_ you not to wake me up like that!" She rubbed her ear as Kaisei's giggles turned into laughter. "You're gonna blow out my eardrum next time..."

"You weren't waking up, Onee-chan," Kaisei replied, struggling to hold back his giggles. "I thought I'd help out. Besides, you're funny whenever you're angry!"

Kimiko let out a heavy sigh of annoyance. For his entire life, Kaisei was always the type of person who wouldn't get upset so easily, instead laughing or getting confused in the face of a situation. It was admittedly both adorable and annoying at the same time. Kimiko looked up at Kaisei again and, noticing his wide and bright smile, smiled back. It didn't matter either way; annoying or not, she just couldn't stay mad at him for long.

"Well, thank you for waking me up," she said as she continued to rub her ear.

Kaisei's smile widened. "You're welcome! Now come on, Onee-chan, it's breakfast time! Naomi and Tamika are waiting for us downstairs!"

Kimiko's smile instantly faded. She remembered the fight she and Naomi had last night, and hoped that Naomi forgot all about it...

She felt a hand clutch hers, and saw that it was Kaisei's. He smiled at her and said encouragingly, "Come on, Onee-chan!"

Obliging, Kimiko yawned before standing up and following her brother downstairs. The two of them entered the kitchen, where Kimiko's younger sisters Naomi and Tamika were already seated at the table. Tamika noticed the two enter and smiled toward Kimiko in greeting, but Kimiko noticed that Naomi was looking at her breakfast again, absorbed in her own mind, her dyed-black hair falling down her shoulders and obscuring most of her face from view.

"Good morning, Onee-chan!" Tamika greeted. "Dad had to leave early for work again, so it's just us."

"YAY!" exclaimed Kaisei, hopping up and down energetically. "That means more playtime for us, since it's summer and we can't go to school!"

"I don't think I can play with you right now, Kaisei-chan," Kimiko replied modestly. "I have some club stuff to take care of."

"Awwwww! Onee-chan, you're always doing stuff even if it's summer!"

"Trust me, Kaisei, by supervising the club will it be able to help thousands of people worldwide. What if I decide to play with you while some poor person on the opposite side of the world starves, having no food or drinks nearby, nor the money to get any, and they die because of that? Would you like that, Kaisei?"

Kaisei frowned pitifully, and then crossed his arms, puffed out his cheeks, and replied stubbornly, "When I become in charge of the world, everyone will get a lot of money so then they can buy their own food and drinks." Then, he looked up at Kimiko, beaming. "Then I'll finally be able to play with you all the time, just like the good old times!" He began hopping up and down in excitement. "Just you wait, world! One day, I'll be in charge of the world!"

Kimiko chuckled at her brother's bubbly enthusiasm and ruffled his hair. "Well then, your almighty highness, if you wanna become in charge of the world, I think that you should better start eating your breakfast! A strong and mighty ruler always eats his breakfast so then he can remain strong and mighty!"

She suddenly heard Naomi scoff and looked at her, only to see that she was still looking absentmindedly at her breakfast.

Dismissing it, Kimiko sat down. Kaisei did as well and was about to eat his breakfast when Kimiko said, "Uh-uh! We have to pray first!"

"Oh, that's right!" replied Kaisei. "Uh, is it my turn?"

"Yep. Lead us if you will, Kaisei-chan."

Kaisei nodded, closed his eyes, and clasped his hands together; the others followed suit. "Dear Lord, thank you very much for this cool breakfast that's in front of us, and please make sure we have a happy and fun day. Then again, every day's a happy and fun day, but still, please make sure of that! Pretty please? Oh, and please take care of all the poor people on the opposite side of the world. They're starving, and they're thirsty. Thank you!"

He was about to conclude the prayer, but then, he quickly remembered something and added, "Oh, and please make sure that when I grow up, I could become in charge of the world so then I can do all of your stuff and you can take a break. Maybe you can start playing with your son now!"

Kimiko and Tamika tried their best to suppress their giggles.

_"Oh Lord, please know that my brother's a little cuckoo, don't mind him,"_ Kimiko thought jokingly.

"Amen," Kaisei said.

"Amen," added Kimiko and Tamika.

"Itadakimasu," they recited before eating their breakfasts.

A few seconds in, however, Kimiko heard the phone ring. Knowing who was calling, she ran over to the phone and answered it.

"Hey, Naotatsu-kun," she greeted.

"Morning, Kimmie," replied the voice of the club's Vice-President, Naotatsu Yunokawa. "Just so you know, there's been a little change of plans. The club meeting has been moved to my house. Ginga's parents had to call in the contractor to fix something in the house. Hopefully you remember where I live."

"How could I forget it? That garden of yours sure knows how to leave an imprint on my mind."

"Hey, don't insult my mom's gardening! She worked hard on- Nah, I'm kidding; my mom's gardening _is_ crap." There was a brief silence. "Uh..._nothing_, Mom..."

Kimiko giggled; Naotatsu's antics really amused her sometimes. It had been quite a surprise for her the moment she knew he became the Vice-President of her club and would therefore be leading it alongside her, since he was well-known in school for not being the most reliable person. But as the past year progressed and Naotatsu was able to prove his worth as a leader, Kimiko now trusted him completely with the club's activities.

"Anyway," he continued, "that's the news. Think you've got it?"

"Yeah, I've got it," replied Kimiko. "Oh, and when you see Ginga, be sure to tell him that his parents desperately need to get themselves a new contractor. You know, this marks the tenth time in a row that our meeting had to be interrupted all because of something going wrong with his house."

"Gotcha, Kimmie. Bye."

"Bye."

Kimiko hung up the phone, just as Kaisei approached her, a giddy look on his face, which could only signal his trademark mischief.

"Was that Naotatsu-san?" he asked, smiling widely.

"Yes," replied Kimiko.

"I like him. I can't wait till he becomes my Onii-chan. Can it happen, Onee-chan, pretty please?!"

Kimiko's eyes widened in alarm; Kaisei always had this extremely strange impression that she liked Naotatsu and vice-versa. She knew it had to stem from the time he stopped by for an update on the club activities, only to wind up being antagonized by Kaisei, who initially thought he was an intruder and thus chased him around until Kimiko calmed him down. Since then, Kaisei had greatly enjoyed Naotatsu's company immensely.

"I'll-I'll see about that..." she stuttered nervously.

Ignoring her younger brother's celebrating over the announcement, she prepared to return to the table when she saw that Naomi was eating all her breakfast quickly. However, before she can say anything about it, Naomi had already finished her breakfast and quickly stood up from the table, preparing to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kimiko asked, stopping Naomi in her tracks.

"Nowhere," replied Naomi quietly.

"Please tell me you're not gonna play those games again."

Naomi glared at her defensively. "So what if I am?"

"Don't you remember what happened a while back?"

The black-haired girl sighed in frustration and replied angrily, "I'll be _fine_, Kimiko. It's not like that incident's gonna happen again, so stop badgering me."

"Just because it hasn't happened again, doesn't mean it won't ever happen again in the future. And even if it doesn't, you still have your head in those games all the time. Why don't you just spend your spare time helping Tamika with her kendo, or playing with Kaisei-chan?"

"Why don't _you_?" Naomi snapped accusingly. "_You're_ the big sister, _you_ help Tamika and play with Kaisei-chan."

"I may be their big sister, but you're their big sister too. They're your responsibility as much as they're mine, and you're not using your responsibility-"

"And I have to..._why_? They have _you_ to depend on."

"I just said why."

Naomi's frown became more pronounced. "That's lovely. Now, if you'll excuse me, my friends are waiting me to log in."

"You're not going anywhere until you put your plate in the sink and wash it-"

"Oh, shut up, _Onee-chan_," interrupted Naomi nastily. "Stop acting like Mom, 'cause you're not her."

"I may not be Mom, but as the eldest child, and the eldest sister, I have to fill in her role as best as I can."

Naomi's eyes narrowed angrily, and she clenched her teeth. "Oh, there you go again, asserting your control and dominance again through your so-called logic! Stop telling me what to do, Kimiko; you have no right to be in control of my life! Mom would've let me do as I choose!"

"No, she wouldn't have," Kimiko replied, her anger rising, "because you're prioritizing your games over your own siblings, the ones who need you the most!"

"Again, they have YOU! Why should _I_ be needed?!"

"Because they love you!"

"No, they love YOU!"

"**STOP IT! STOP FIGHTING!**"

Kimiko and Naomi looked at Tamika, who had stood up from her chair, tears dripping down her cheeks. Kaisei was also crying, which shocked Kimiko.

"You two always keep fighting!" Tamika shouted. "Always there's fighting, always! Do you have any idea how I feel about this, or Kaisei?!"

Kimiko gasped and stood up, approaching Tamika as she collapsed onto her chair and began sobbing.

"Tamika, Kaisei, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I promise you, Naomi and I won't fight again. Right, Naomi?" She looked up, but saw that Naomi was already gone. With a sigh, she walked over to the sink and retrieved paper towels, giving some to Tamika and Kaisei. Then, Kimiko glanced at Naomi's abandoned plate.

_"She still didn't even take care of her plate."_ Kimiko looked longingly at the staircase where Naomi undoubtedly disappeared at. _"Oh, Naomi. What do you think I'm doing wrong? Why do you hate me? I know I'm not Mom, but I try my best for her and for you guys. After all, I'm your big sister. I have to care for you, right?_

_"Then what am I doing wrong?"_

"O-Onee-chan?"

Kimiko looked down and met the watery eyes of Kaisei. He was tugging at her shirt like a needy child.

"Why are you and Naomi always fighting?" he asked sadly.

"I'm...I'm not really sure, Kaisei," replied Kimiko solemnly. "But just know that we still love you and Tamika. We're just...working something out."

"When will you two stop fighting?"

"I don't know, Kaisei. ...I...I really don't know. You're probably just gonna have to wait..."

Kaisei merely nodded and sadly left the kitchen, as did Tamika. Kimiko watched the two of them go before looking back up at the staircase remorsefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how's that for the first chapter for my first "Angel Beats" story? Be sure to let me know in all your reviews! Criticism is welcome, but I do not want any flaming. Please be sure to use kind words, so then that can guarantee any actual improvement over any erroneous tidbits (with the exception of the old name vs. new name thing, THAT I'm gonna stick by till the very end). As for what is going to happen later on into the story, well, I obviously can't spoil you the details, but I will tell you that it's gonna be one hell of a ride! Hopefully, that is. But I'm confident that I'll enjoy this very much.
> 
> Now, before I sign off, I want everyone to know that this is my first time using Japanese terms and honorifics and such. So, if there is anyone who's well-versed in the Japanese culture and language who is also reading this story, please give me a shout-out and some advice if you see any errors or misuse of any terms. I want the dialogue of the story to be closely faithful to traditional Japanese speaking, which I'm obviously not familiar with.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this prologue! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	2. Inner Regrets

**CHAPTER 1: INNER REGRETS**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

* * *

**Workplace of Arata Takahashi  
Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"How about _Girl Power to the Fourth_?" suggested Takahashi. "Sounds fitting enough."

"Still doesn't fit the bill for me, Arata," Hasumi replied, shaking her head dismissively. "It...It needs to sound, like..._unique_. Rock-like!"

"_Girl Power to the Fourth_ sounds unique and rock-like, Hasumi."

"Not enough in my book, though. Besides, it sounds a bit feminist."

"So? Rock is more of a guy thing these days. If you're gonna introduce more girls than boys into rock music, then that's gonna be an accomplishment for you!"

"Just because that is so doesn't mean I want a fan-base that's mostly girls. I envisioned it to be more gender-balanced."

"Well, _Girl Power to the Fourth_ is the best I have right now, Hasumi. I'm sorry."

A few minutes ago, as Takahashi and Hasumi gathered the newspapers needed for their respective paper routes, they began this conversation. Being a big fan of rock music, Hasumi made it her lifelong goal to start a rock band of her own. During her high school years, she managed to find all the members she needed to further her dream, and now, she needed a name for the band to take her goal one step further. Takahashi volunteered to help her out on that a while back.

However, that was almost a month ago, and neither of them were anywhere close to finding a good name.

Takahashi sighed and said, "Hasumi, why can't you try out that thing you suggested? _Girls Dead Monster_? It sounded pretty good; you said so yourself!"

Hasumi shook her head in disapproval. "Remember, I changed my mind on that. It no longer fits for me."

"Why not? I think it's an excellent name for an excellent band like yours!"

"Heh. You haven't even listen to our music, Arata."

Takahashi crossed his arms. "I plan to do so once you finish writing a song you guys are proud of! Now, what's wrong with _Girls Dead Monster_? Don't tell me-"

"No, it's not because it's a feminist-sounding name," Hasumi interrupted. "I just...I just don't like it."

"And why not?"

"...Not sure," Hasumi replied quickly as she stacked the last of her newspapers in her bicycle basket. "Alright, that's the last of my newspapers. Guess I should be taking my leave now." She glanced at the stack of newspapers Takahashi was carrying. "Is that all of the newspapers for your paper route?"

"Yeah, that should be all of 'em," Takahashi replied. Then, he noticed Hasumi's worried expression. "Don't _worry_, Hasumi. I counted them all."

"Hopefully you counted correctly. We don't want a repeat of last week."

Takahashi chuckled, remembering the fond memory of last week's incident, which involved Hasumi's father throwing a rather huge fit at him.

"Oh thanks, Hasumi, for the concern."

Hasumi smiled brightly in response. "Hey, anything for a good friend like you."

Takahashi's face turned into a bright shade of red as soon as he heard her latest sentence, but fortunately for him, Hasumi did not notice. He got on his bicycle, waved goodbye to her, and prepared to start pedaling when the teenager suddenly heard Hasumi's voice call out to him.

"Arata!"

Takahashi looked behind him. "Yeah, Hasumi?"

"You be careful, alright? There's killer cultists loose in the metropolis."

Takahashi chuckled as he put on his helmet. "Oh, don't you worry about me, Hasumi." He pointed an index finger to himself in full confidence. "I'm not scared of any bloodthirsty cultists. It is the _cultists_ that are scared of me." He watched as his friend and crush giggled at his confidence. "Hey, you are looking at a kendo master here, Hasumi! I can perfectly handle myself against a whole bunch of those wackos!" He scoffed as she continued to giggle. "Bye!"

"Bye!" replied Hasumi teasingly, waving at him as she approached her own bicycle.

"_Girls Dead Monster_ rocks!"

"No, it doesn't, Arata!"

Takahashi sighed in defeat and shook his head as he started pedaling down the sidewalks of Nishitōkyō, heading towards the nearby suburbs that were a part of his usual paper route. As he did so, he began to think about Hasumi and the way she seemed to quickly dismiss the title of _Girls Dead Monster_.

_"It sounds like a great name for her band,"_ he thought. _"I wonder why she's so certain that's not the name for her."_ Then, he smiled as a brand-new thought came to him. _"Hey, wait a minute, she told me to be _careful_. ...Hey, she cares for my well-being! She's _concerned _about me!"_

He struggled to contain his inner joy at receiving such attention from his crush.

* * *

**Near the suburbs  
The outskirts of **Nishitōkyō****

After exiting the main city and entering the outskirts, Takahashi found himself passing by the new school that opened up last year. The redheaded teenage boy glared towards it, feeling some sort of unfulfilled emotion tucked in the pit of his stomach. Since it was Sunday, the usual activity inside the school grounds was completely nonexistent, but even with all the noises of the students, it seemed to give off some sort of tranquil feeling that comforted Takahashi.

He couldn't understand why he found himself liking the school. It could have something to do with its elaborate design: it consisted of three separate buildings, each with three stories and a teal roof, with a bridge linking all three. But Takahashi wasn't a big fan of school, even if the school building was nicely designed.

There had to be something else to the school that appealed to him. After all, he definitely wasn't a student there. No, he didn't fit its..._criteria_. And he never will.

As soon as the school vanished from sight, Takahashi focused his thoughts back onto his paper route. At this point, he was almost late. His salary depended on whether or not people would be reading the newspapers that he delivered to them. Stopping alongside a stoplight of a four-way intersection, he waited for all the cars present to pass by. To pass the time, he quickly checked the pile of newspapers he had to see if he indeed have the right number. And indeed, he did.

Sighing with boredom, he looked up, only to see that he still wasn't allowed to cross.

_"Oh, what luck,"_ he thought bitterly as he stood up from his bike and leaned it against the pole. _"And it _has _to be straight in the middle of goddamn rush hour..."_

Tapping his foot impatiently, Takahashi took a quick glance at his wristwatch. To his complete displeasure, it was almost 9:30 A.M. During that point of time, the people living on his paper route would be leaving their houses to gather their newspapers. Being late to work definitely didn't help him beat the time.

Looking up and seeing that there were still cars crossing the street, Takahashi sighed in defeat. It looked like he had to use the alternate route.

Getting on his bicycle, he quickly sped down an adjacent sidewalk, away from the four-way intersection. After pedaling for several yards, Takahashi finally came across an area that was fenced off, barring anyone from getting across and entering the construction site on the other side.

Or, at least, it was _trying_ to bar off people.

Takahashi got off his bicycle, removed his helmet, and approached a clump of tall grass and moved it aside, revealing a decent-sized hole left on the fence. With relative ease, he crawled through the hole, pulling the bicycle with him. Then, he positioned the grass blades to cover up the hole in such a way that it wouldn't be seen on both sides of the fence. As soon as that was done, Takahashi quickly hid behind a small pile of steel pipes and took a peek from the other corner to see if there was any workers present in the construction site. To his relief, there was no one there. It was morning hours, after all.

Takahashi stood up, hopped back on his bicycle, and started pedaling across the site. He remembered using this construction site twice before as an alternate route when he was about to be late in delivering the newspapers. Both times he used it, the job was done more quickly, more efficiently.

Takahashi knew he was trespassing in a place a kid like him really shouldn't be. However, he took pride in the fact that he was a risk-taker, and as such, it was only natural for him to resort to utilizing this outrageous strategy. And besides, it was either being late in the delivery and subsequently facing the wrath of his unbearable boss, or not being late in the delivery and getting off the hook. And he knew which option was more appealing over the other.

"The _Ka_... The _Ka_ is here..."

Takahashi immediately stopped and looked around. He knew there wasn't supposed to be anyone working in the site today.

"H-Hello?" he called.

Silence. Then, as he was about to resume his pedaling...

"The Almighty _Ka_... The fires of his rage shall scorch all the nonbelievers!"

"W-What the _hell_?" whispered Takahashi, feeling dread welling up inside him.

Then, he watched as several figures, possibly dozens, quietly stepped out of every nook and cranny one could possibly think of at a construction site, a strange chant filling the air as they did so. All of them were wearing cloaks that were colored in many different shades and ancient-looking emblems: some wore scarlet and had dark-red emblems of fire, others wore dark-blue and had blue emblems of water droplets, others with brown and had yellow emblems of spheres with X's at the center, others with silver and white emblems of what appeared to be wind, and finally some who wore gold with light-blue emblems of..._fire_, perhaps?

Takahashi gulped in fear. He knew this had to be the cult he kept hearing about in the news recently. Unfortunately, he never really paid attention to what they were saying about it; it was common knowledge to about everyone else that they were psychos and plain bad news.

_"Oh, God,"_ he thought. _"Please don't let them kill me..."_

The cultists finally stopped about a yard away from him, surrounding him in a tight circle. Takahashi felt his heart pound viciously against his sternum, the beads of his sweat dripping down his face, his neck, staining his shirt. He began mentally cursing himself for deciding to take this risk in the first place...

"Almighty _Ka_!" one of the cultists shouted dramatically, his arms outstretched in a glorious manner.

"M-M-_Me_?..." Takahashi replied. "Um...look, man, I don't want any trouble, I swear-"

"Almighty _Ka_, we have prayed day and night for your gracious return!" another cultist suddenly interrupted.

"W-What? R-_Return_? _Ka_?"

"Now, we beg of you!" cried a third cultist as he wept in joy. "Spread your ravaging fire, eradicate all the nonbelievers! Send them all to the depths of Hell!"

"Uh... _Uh_..." Takahashi didn't know what to think of this nonsense they were giving him. "Spread your..._fire_? I-I-"

To his surprise, several of the cultists slowly parted, giving him an easy route of escape. Then, all of them bowed, still chanting eerily, with the exception of one, who was wearing a gold cloak. This cultist pointed off to the same direction as where his colleagues parted. Takahashi noticed for the first time that this cultist, unlike the others, was holding a candle that wasn't lit...and had a dead rabbit hanging as some sort of necklace...

_"Oh my freaking God, no..."_

"Go, _Ka_! Show the nonbelievers the consequences of denying your very existence! Show them what happens to those who commit such felonious crimes!"

Realizing that the cultists were intending to let him go (hopefully), Takahashi immediately decided to seize the opportunity.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be sure to do that," he quickly replied before pedaling off. He continued to hear the cultists chant, all the way until he finally managed to reach the opposite end of the construction site. Once he did, Takahashi stopped his bicycle and leaned against a nearby pole. "Oh, thank _God_... Goddamn it..."

Once his heartbeat steadied itself, and he stopped sweating, he looked back and sighed with relief. It didn't seem that none of the cultists had followed him.

_"Note to self,"_ he thought, _"pick a better alternate route. There's no way in _hell _am I going through that construction site ever again."_

Takahashi then resumed pedaling off towards the suburbs, all the while contemplating over if he should call the police or not. After all, the cult was wanted for several murders across the metropolis. He was planning on doing so, but then...he wondered what would happen if he actually did. Could his safety from them be guaranteed? He didn't even know how many members there were in that cult, let alone if the police was capable of tracking all of them down.

And if he exposed the cult, then that could mean a whole lot of danger for himself and the ones he cared about...

Hasumi...

It was too big of a risk, even for him to handle. He knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't.

That was what Takahashi concluded as he finally reached the suburbs and carelessly tossed his first newspaper of the day towards the closest house.

* * *

**Nishimura Household**

"Goddamn paper boys..." Kimiko growled to herself as she heard the newspaper hit her front door. "Have they no decency at all?"

With a heavy sigh of disapproval, the teenage girl unlocked the front door, opened it, and stepped outside. Looking down at the newspaper, her eyes widened, and she let out a gasp of horror. On the cover page, the headline read in unnecessarily bold and capitalized letters 'KILLER CULT STRIKES AGAIN: YET ANOTHER MASS GRAVE UNCOVERED'. Accompanying this was a photo of the crime scene...as horrible and sickening as usual...

Her skin began to pale as memories flashed across her mind...

"Onee-chan?" a voice piped. Gasping, Kimiko turned around and saw Tamika standing behind her. "What's wrong? I heard you gasp and...why's your skin _pale_?"

Kimiko gulped and waved her hands frantically in dismissal. "Oh, it's nothing. There was a, uh, a...a bee flying around in front of my face! But it's gone now!"

Tamika was easily convinced by the lie; she knew that her older sister had a huge fear of bees. Nodding in understanding, she walked forward; Kimiko noticed that she had her kendo equipment with her. "Well, I gotta go, Onee-chan," she said. "Kendo practice is in a few minutes and I can't afford to be late."

"Yeah...Yeah..." Kimiko replied, more focused on if Tamika will spot the newspaper or not. "Well...see you..."

"Yeah, see you!" Tamika said, waving at her before running off the front porch and toward the adjacent sidewalk. As soon as Tamika followed the sidewalk and went out of sight, Kimiko looked down at the newspaper and sighed in relief; her sister didn't seem to notice it.

_"Good. That way, she doesn't have to learn about all those horrors..."_

Her eyes suddenly narrowed upon realizing the situation. Every single day, every headline, every top story, it was all about this cult of psychos and murderers, making their undeserved mark in history. A couple of days into the first coverage of that cult, there have either been copycat crimes or stupid people striving to join it in their quest of so-called salvation from some mythical deity or deities. About half of the words she saw every day had something to do with that cult.

And it was all so sickening. It was as if the media was intentionally _glorifying_ these disturbed wackos. And to each action was a reaction. After all, following each piece of coverage were more murders, more brutal than the last ones. And more mass graves to be found all around the country.

Blinded with rage, Kimiko angrily picked up the newspaper, held it tightly, and, with a loud yell, threw it on the opposite side of the street, watching as it landed on the front lawn of the house located opposite of hers. Then, clarity quickly returned, and she looked around the house to see if Kaisei heard her scream; she knew that Naomi couldn't have possibly heard anything, since she was so busy playing her online games and probably wouldn't care if she did hear something.

Fortunately, she didn't hear her younger brother respond in any way, so she let out a relieved sigh.

Turning around, Kimiko found herself facing Naotatsu Yunokawa.

"AGH!" she screamed.

Naotatsu immediately started laughing. "Gotcha, Kimmie!" he exclaimed.

Growling, Kimiko thrust up her knee, hitting him in his private area, a favorite punishment of hers. Naotatsu yowled in pain and crumpled to the floor.

"Serves you right, creep," she snarled.

"I didn't even intend to scare you..." moaned Naotatsu. "I was just coming up to you when you faced me and got freaked out..."

"Well, you could've announced your presence better." Kimiko crossed her arms. "What're you doing here, Naotatsu?"

"Well, I came to get you, of course. I know how much you don't like to walk alone."

Kimiko narrowed her eyes and lightly kicked him playfully while he was still down. "Not too loud, Naotatsu! Kaisei-chan might hear..."

"So what?" Naotatsu asked as he stood up, rubbing the place where she kicked him. "It's understandable, considering these scary times today-"

"I need to be strong for them," she interrupted. "If they think of me as vulnerable, then how will they expect me to defend them if something happens?"

"Everyone's vulnerable, Kimiko. It just depends on how people see your way of treat your own vulnerability. You have always been their strong, cool big sister. So what if they know you're a bit afraid of walking by yourself? They can easily overlook it because they know you love them and you'll do anything for them."

"Always the philosopher, huh?" Kimiko replied, although her tone was bitter. She closed the door and locked it. "Come on, let's go."

Naotatsu sighed heavily and followed her off the front porch and onto the adjacent sidewalk. As he did, Kimiko got an idea, one that she found quite brilliant.

"Hey, Naotatsu?"

"Yeah, Kimmie?"

"What's the topic for our meeting today?"

"The preservation of aquatic wildlife. Why?"

"Let's switch topics; we've done enough aquatic wildlife preservation."

Naotatsu was taken aback by this suggestion. "Wh-What? Well...what do you suggest we do instead?"

"I suggest that we take up the issue of media sensationalism."

"Media sensationalism?"

"I find it a really big problem that the news seems to report a lot on that psycho cult. Every time a new mass grave is found, all the news channels go crazy like it is the end of the world or something. Every day, I keep hearing about that cult and how horrible, how inhumane, how monstrous their crimes are. But must I be reminded of that every single day? Hell no. And worse yet, I feel that with all of this attention, the cult gets more and more bolder, more brutal with all those murders. If they aren't doing all of these monstrosities for whatever they're worshiping, then I'd say they're doing this for the attention."

"Well...you've got a good point with that..." Then, Naotatsu sighed. "But really, how long has it been since the last time the media listened to cries against it?"

Kimiko glared at him, an eyebrow raised. "Your point being?"

"Telling the media to change the way they are reporting is like telling a squirrel to climb to the top of that Union Tower in America, get a watermelon, and come back down. It-It can't be done, Kimiko. Plus, we're still in high school. That fact alone will unanimously screw our argument over to the other side."

"The only thing impossible is impossibility, Naotatsu-kun."

"That's from an American cartoon show, Kimmie."

"If the media's not gonna listen-" Kimiko made a determined fist. "Then we'll have to _make_ them listen. It's not like that isn't the first time we've done it, right?"

"But this is a completely different issue we're talking about, Kimmie... We're talking about the media _itself_-"

"Look, we are only gonna change their reporting on the cult, nothing else," interrupted Kimiko. "They can do whatever they want with any other story, but with this particular story, their reporting on it is almost overzealous, and such coverage might be a factor in the cult's crimes. And if that's actually true, then we both seem to be the only ones who have the idea of stopping them before anymore blood is shed. Now, come on!"

Kimiko grabbed Naotatsu's hand and quickened her pace, causing him to sigh as they walked faster.

_"Oh, Kimiko-san,"_ he thought. _"Always the outspoken one, aren't you?"_ Then, he subconsciously cracked a dreamy smile. _"But I guess that's what I like about you."_

* * *

**Yunokawa Household  
Current Meeting Place of the Global Awareness Club**

Approaching the front door of Naotatsu's house, Kimiko knocked on it thrice in quick succession. A few seconds later, it opened, revealing the face of Naotatsu's younger brother Yuuji, who was also a member of the club, although the membership was on his own request, since he wasn't even attending high school yet.

"Hey, guys," he greeted. "You're just in time too; we're about to get started!"

Nodding, Kimiko stepped inside the house, quickly followed by Naotatsu. After removing their shoes, the two teenagers stepped into the living room, which was occupied by several other teenagers their age. There was Rikana Egami, the secretary of the club; Hozumi Karubo, their treasurer; Touya Hamada, their master researcher; members Ginga Matsushina, Hiroto Sekozawa, Sachiyo Sugisata, Tyler Kendall, Fuyumi Royama, and...

Kimiko blinked, for she did not recognize one of the present members, a pink-haired girl who seemed to be around her age. She seemed to have a consistently shy expression on her face. This expression became stronger the moment Kimiko looked at her; the girl blushed and started stuttering already.

"Hey, who are you?" she asked. "I haven't seen you in any of the previous club meetings."

"Oh, sorry!" exclaimed Ginga, standing up. "That's my sister, Yumisa-chan, but we like to call her Yumie. I thought she'd join this club."

"H-Hi..." Yumie whispered, her voice barely audible to those nearby.

Kimiko smiled in response. "Oh hi, Yumie! Glad to see you join our circle!" She looked at the other members. "I hope that everyone gave her a warm welcome."

"Hi, Yumie," chanted the others, almost as if they were in singsong. "Welcome to the Global Awareness Club!"

Yumie's blushed promptly strengthened, and she began to shrink in the chair she was sitting on. It apparently didn't seem to help her one bit when the others, sans Ginga, also began introducing themselves to her; she was definitely an introverted person. As soon as the introductions were done, Kimiko then sat down in an unoccupied chair, with everyone coming to full attention; Touya quickly pulled out his personal laptop for reference.

"Alright, everyone," she announced. "Now that the introductions are out of the way and Yumie is a part of our circle, let get things underway."

"What's your latest strategy in preserving the aquatic environment, leader?" asked Rikana.

Kimiko shook her head. "Naotatsu and I have officially decided to scratch that topic. We've done enough as it is."

The others immediately went into a frenzy.

"WHAT?!"

"Why'd you decide to change your mind on that?"

"I _loved_ making efforts in preserving the aquatic environment!"

"Settle down, settle down, guys," said Kimiko gently, calming down the others. "Fortunately, we've decided to tackle another topic, one we never did before."

"And what would that be?" Sachiyo asked.

"Media sensationalism."

"Media sen- _What_?" asked Ginga, a confused expression on his face.

Kimiko sighed; she had forgotten that some of the club's members weren't good with big words. "In other words," she explained, "we make the public aware of the media's portrayal of that killer cult that's been active for the past couple of months, which I feel is over-saturation."

"That killer cult?" Hiroto repeated. "Why should we be expressing any concern about _that_? I mean, don't we need the news to tell us where their members are usually active, and also what to do if we came across them? That information is much more helpful than it is hurtful."

"Yes, but the news has barely done any of the sort. The main news channel even ignores those facts altogether. Touya-san, can our laptop vouch for that?"

Recognizing his cue, Touya immediately began typing and clicking away on his laptop. It didn't take long until he spoke.

"Kimiko-san's right, guys," he said. "Police recently released a map showing where cult members are suspected to usually operate at, but many news channels are neglecting in sharing these details to the public, for whatever reason. In fact, I was only able to find these maps on public forums." Touya glanced upwards. "Not only that, but I also came across a couple of amateur news articles that make good points about how the media was handling the entire cult story. As said by these articles, the mainstream reporters' rhetoric seem to be aimed more towards _glorifying_ these psychos over anything else."

Kimiko crossed her arms. "And there we have it. So-"

"Wait a minute," Ginga interrupted. "Who wrote those so-called amateur news articles? What are your sources, Touya."

"Well, they all came from anti-government websites-"

"Since when have we sided with points made by anti-government nuts?" he asked suddenly, his eyes wide. "That'd just make us look bad in the public's eyes!"

"Like we didn't look bad enough in the eyes of the public," replied Kimiko. "Remember that protest we did against that cosmetics company last year? The media just twisted around the words we said during that day. They made us look like a ragtag bunch of teen activists or something!"

"We _are_ a ragtag bunch of teen activists though, Kimiko," Naotatsu piped.

"Maybe so, Naotatsu, but we were right about that cosmetics company. Everyone was. See, this is another problem I have with the news. Practically everyone knew way before we did that the cosmetics company was conducting illegal experiments, but the media continued to stick up for the bad guy. And history's now repeating itself with the story of the psycho cult! Too many unnecessary details of their crimes, this apparent fascination with whatever they're worshiping, and sensationalist rhetoric!" Kimiko made a determined fist. "And it's gone on for too long! Therefore, I suggest we make the public aware of this! Who's with me?"

Everyone was silent, and several looked at one another nervously. Finally, Touya raised his hand slightly to catch Kimiko's attention.

"I understand your argument, leader," he said, "but...I don't think this'll work out for us in the end."

"And why not, Touya-san?" asked Kimiko, unconvinced.

"I-I mean...this is the _media_ we're talking about. It's not like Western media, where it can change if enough people protest with good reason. The only way this problem's gonna be solved is if the higher staff decides to make the change, and on their own accord, not on behalf of the public. And...we all know how that'll turn out..." He looked down at his laptop regretfully before looking up. "I'm sorry, leader, but it just can't be done. It's impossible."

Kimiko narrowed her eyes, for she knew exactly what Touya was talking about.

_"Goddamn Sadahiro Hashimoto,"_ she thought hatefully.

"Yeah, Touya-san's right," Ginga said. "There's no way Sadahiro Hashimoto will change the way his reporters are covering this story, even if we're backed up."

"Same here," Rikana added, raising her hand. "I vote against this proposal." She looked at Kimiko remorsefully. "Sorry, leader."

Everyone else immediately raised their hands (even the shy, inattentive Yumie), until Naotatsu was left. However, as everyone else had voted against Kimiko's suggestion, he glanced at her, shrugging sorrowfully before raising his hand as well. Realizing that everyone had spoken, she sighed in defeat.

"Well, I guess everyone voted..." she said, her voice barely audible.

"Hey, don't take it so hard, leader," Sachiyo piped. "All we can do is just ignore the news, that's all."

"But how are we gonna know where those cult members might be active at?" asked Hiroto.

"You won't be able to know," Kimiko said suddenly, her voice bitter, "because for whatever reason they have, the news won't give you those facts."

"Oh, yeah... Well, I guess I can just surf those forums and search for that map Touya-san mentioned. Speaking of which, which forums did you use, Touya-san?"

As Touya explained himself to the other club members, Kimiko, her body tense, immediately left the room. Naotatsu was the only one to see her go.

_"Oh, Kimmie,"_ he thought as his eyes softened._  
_

* * *

"Damn it," snarled Kimiko as she slammed her fist on the wall of the empty kitchen. "Damn it! I should've known that this would be a bad idea..."

The teenager then looked out of the window longingly. The sun was high in the sky, without a cloud to block its light. She fondly remembered the last time she made such a marvelous sight, and the happiness and wonder that accompanied it. That was just moments before..._it_ happened...

_"And there is absolutely no way I can stop something like that from happening again..."_ Kimiko thought. _"No way..."_ At that moment, she clenched her fist and then suddenly slammed it onto the fridge, snarling furiously, "Goddamn it..." She then started banging her fist repeatedly. "Goddamn it, goddamn it, _goddamn it_!"

"Upset?" a familiar voice asked. Kimiko looked up and saw Naotatsu standing nearby.

"Oh..." Kimiko's eyes softened. "I'm sorry if I was a bit too loud for everyone's taste-"

"Oh, no hard feelings, Kimmie," replied Naotatsu. "...You know, don't think I don't know why you're taking this so seriously or anything. ...I'm really sorry-"

Kimiko suddenly scoffed. "Yeah, well, 'sorry' isn't gonna change anything, you know. If that were true, all of us would be happy a _long_ time ago." Then, she took quick notice of Naotatsu's shocked reaction and sighed pitifully. "Oh, I'm sorry, Naotatsu. I went overboard, did I?"

"Damn right you did." However, the tone of his voice was kind, gentle. "You know, Kimmie, just because everyone else says so, doesn't mean we can't fight."

The teenage girl sighed sadly. "Then how do you expect we bring attention to this kind of sensationalist reporting?"

"Well..." Naotatsu looked into the other room in caution before continuing, "I have actually done some of my own research into the country's journalism ethics."

Kimiko raised an eyebrow. "You have?" she asked.

"Well, just because I said it couldn't be done doesn't mean I didn't want to try anymore. Anyway, I noticed from the protests made against Sadahiro Hashimoto and his company were made, the participants always seem to be the average citizen. Nobodies, in other words. But if the public hears a voice from someone on the inside of the company, then maybe the argument will gain some credibility, and more people will begin to listen and stand up against the company."

"Are you talking about an employee?"

Naotatsu nodded. "Yep, an employee of Hashimoto Communications, nonetheless. And you know how silent those guys are."

Kimiko began to catch on. "But if one of us gets a job there, gets the hang of the working conditions, and then speaks out, then we're in the clear!"

"That's right!"

"But...why didn't you suggest this earlier?" Kimiko crossed her arms. "That could've been _very_ helpful, you know, Naotatsu-kun."

Naotatsu looked into the other room again before speaking, his voice significantly lowered. "Look, Ginga didn't want me to tell you this, but his mother just got a promotion in her job. And that promotion required her to be transferred into another workplace. And guess where that new workplace is."

Kimiko sighed. "Sadahiro Communications. _That's_ why Ginga was the first to protest."

"The guy no doubt believes his mom's job will be in jeopardy if we do this."

"He'll understand," said Kimiko quickly. "It's for the good of all of those who have lost their loved ones to those damn maniacs."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it certainly looks like we're getting a bigger sense of the conflicts suffered by Otonashi, Kanade, and Yuri (or, as we presently know them, Takahashi, Chouko, and Kimiko)! And I promise you, things have just started to unfold. If you wish to figure out what I mean by that, then stay tuned! :D
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	3. A Fateful Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait, everyone! School is being a real pain in my butt.
> 
> On with the chapter! ENJOY!

**CHAPTER 2: A FATEFUL MEETING**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

* * *

**April 18, 2026**

* * *

**The Private Library  
Hashimoto Manor**

Chouko wordlessly flipped yet another page of the business and management book she was reading. Even though the Hashimoto Manor library was large and magnificent in nature, the books it housed all had something to do with the subject of business and management. In fact, there was only one book that did not follow such a theme, and it was the records book of the Hashimoto family tree, which was constantly updated. Even at home did her father want her constantly exposed to what was expected of her in the future: managing successful businesses, the Hashimoto family tradition.

It didn't take long for Chouko to finish the page and flip to another one. She had extraordinarily fast reading skills, something that her father took great pride in out of all the other qualities she had. She also took great pride in it too. After all, what Hashimoto wouldn't be proud of themselves and their traits?...

"May I come in, Chouko-chan?" a voice piped suddenly. Chouko looked up and saw that Junna was standing at the doorway of the library.

"Be my guest, Junna-san," Chouko replied modestly. "I was just reading."

Junna nodded and entered the room, a broomstick clutched in one hand and a dustpan in the other. Without another word, the maid began cleaning the library, humming a catchy tune to herself. Chouko's attention was immediately piqued, for she knew that tune anywhere: Junna would always play it on her piano. And as much as her father had forbidden her to play Junna's piano, Chouko found herself liking that tune, much to her own surprise. In fact, she gradually managed to learn how to play it on the piano by herself whenever no one was home. She never asked what the song to that tune was, though.

Then, she found herself swaying to the tune. Mentally berating herself for committing such a violation, Chouko resumed reading. That was when Junna spoke.

"Chouko-chan?"

Chouko looked up innocently. "Yes, Junna-san?" she replied.

"Look, about what happened last week, with my piano-"

"There's no need to apologize, Junna-san. It is I who is to blame for the entire incident."

"But Fuuta told me that you haven't been playing my piano during that time, yet you lied to protect him. You shouldn't take the fall for that, honey, especially if it will result in disappointment from your father." Her eyes softened. "He loves you, and he thinks highly of you, Chouko-chan. He was rather disappointed-"

"A Hashimoto must always stand by the truth in the name of business and accept the full blow of repercussions," Chouko interrupted in a monotonous, reciting tone. "That is exactly what I did. I love to play on your piano; I stood by that truth, even if I hadn't been recently on it. I did so because Fuuta is my friend, and he didn't deserve whatever punishment that was lying ahead of him." She looked back down at her book. "Father will understand eventually."

"And...about the piano..." Junna's eyes glimmered with determination. "Chouko-chan, don't hesitate. You may play it as much as you like."

"But Father-"

Junna immediately scoffed and waved her hand with nonchalant dismissal. "Oh, to hell with what your father says, Chouko-chan; I shall cover for you! Just...for God's sake, pour your heart out into that piano!" She smiled widely, and with radiating pride. "Talents like yours shouldn't be going to waste like this!"

Chouko's eyes glimmered as she looked up again. "You...think I'm _talented_?"

"Honey, even _I_ am half as good as you are behind the piano. All the times I've ever seen you play it, I've marveled at such mastery!" Junna approached Chouko and stared down at her with her smiling, beaming face. "Chouko-chan, I hereby give you my total permission to play my piano whenever you desire!"

Chouko blinked, reluctant to make such a potentially life-changing decision. She thoroughly contemplated on the situation: on one hand, she would be finally be able to unleash her heartfelt desires onto a piano, even if her father would still disapprove; on the other, she would have to continue upholding the Hashimoto family tradition and sacred honor, which would be comparably more essential to her future, as much as she'd hate to admit it.

As a pianist, she would be able to express herself as freely as she wished, but unfortunately, there was also a rather high chance she wouldn't be able to hold down such a job for long. As a businesswoman, she would have a much more successful career that would benefit her in the long run, but unfortunately, she'd have to uphold a consistent professional behavior that was expected from her, as mandated by the job. And, of course, Chouko felt restrained by that.

After making some serious contemplation about her decision, Chouko finally replied, "...I'll think about it."

Unsatisfied with the answer, Junna opened her mouth to speak, but noticed that Chouko had immediately started reading again. Knowing better than to bother Chouko during one of her reading sessions, she merely let out a soft sigh of anger and disappointment, then resumed cleaning the library. As she did, the maid took one last glance at the silver-haired girl, wondering what she should do with her now. In the same manner as her only son, she didn't approve of Chouko's submission to all of these restraining, unsatisfactory expectations that were the constituting parts of her life.

_"Oh, Chouko,"_ she thought pitifully.

A few hours passed when Chouko left the manor library, having just finished reading the business book. Not that such an accomplishment mattered the least to her, for this marked the tenth time she did so. As she left the library, she heard Junna stop cleaning; she had a feeling the maid was watching her leave.

"Hey, Chou-kee," a familiar voice greeted.

"I request that you stop calling me by that name," Chouko replied without any evident reaction.

"I like that name better than your actual name. It rolls off the tongue more smoothly."

"Don't you have dish-washing duty to attend to right now?"

Fuuta crossed his arms, a proud, snobby expression etched on his face. "That little doozy? Finished washing them all five minutes ago. So, what do you wanna do for today, Chou-kee? Wanna go out and explore the city? We can go to that stage play you've been talking about for a while now."

"With a cult of psychotics within their membership on the loose?" replied Chouko, her face still emotionless. "I find that inadvisable." She looked at Fuuta. "And as for that stage play you mentioned, I believe it was _you_ who has been talking about it endlessly. I'm not the type who would be enchanted by the theater."

"There's a whole bunch of piano pieces involved in the play," Fuuta said encouragingly. "It would-"

"I appreciate the gesture, Fuuta, but I would rather not. On the bright side, Father _is_ taking me out to the city today. You can accompany us if you wish."

Fuuta let out a sigh and then frowned disapprovingly. "Accompany you to a board meeting for your father's company so we can have an idea on how business works? I'd rather wash all of the dishes in the WORLD, THREE TIMES over before I go and listen to one of those boring-ass meetings."

"I shall take that response as a no," Chouko replied calmly.

"Chou-kee, you're so difficult..."

Chouko didn't respond, instead maintaining the stoic expression that was on her face. Fuuta followed his friend as she entered one of the manor's many living rooms, where they found Sadahiro chatting on the phone as one of the other maids tirelessly cleaned up every nook and cranny of the room. The two stopped upon hearing the irritated tone lacing Sadahiro's voice, which gave a poisonous, intimidating quality to it. Fuuta gulped, but Chouko remained calm as usual.

"Well, apparently your tactics aren't working well enough if viewership continues maintaining an all-time low," Sadahiro snarled. "If you are unable to find a way to get the ratings for those shows back on track by the end of the week, then consider your job out of the window. You have a good day, Matsushina-san." The businessman hung up, then spotted Chouko standing in the living room. "Oh, Chouko. I assume you overheard that discussion."

"Only the last part of it, fortunately," replied Chouko indifferently.

Sadahiro sighed and continued, "One of the great difficulties in running a large corporation, Chouko. There comes a time in a businessman or businesswoman's life where consumers just lose interest in their hard-worked products. It's a severe blow, Chouko, one that is hard to recover from. When the time comes when you have such an experience, be sure to have all of your cards on the table. Do whatever you can to save your business. Understood?"

"Understood, Father." Chouko didn't notice Fuuta's face turn scarlet nearby.

Sadahiro smiled happily and replied, "That's my girl." He let out a chuckle. "You know, even on days like these where things don't go in my favor, you somehow always find a way to cheer me up, Chouko." He stood up, straightening out the suit he was wearing. "Well, I think it's time to go. You ready?"

For a very brief moment, Chouko had her mind focused on the catchy tune Junna was humming back at the manor library. That then turned into a fantasy of her playing it on a piano. Then, she realized what she was thinking about, and she stared at her father, who was smiling proudly at her.

_"A Hashimoto must always stand by the truth in the name of business and accept the full blow of repercussions."_

"As always, Father."

Sadahiro's smile widened even more, and Chouko instinctively smiled back.

* * *

**Workplace of Arata Takahashi  
Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"_Twice_ the workload?!" exclaimed Takahashi as he carried a tall stack of newspapers. "Someone please kill me now."

"You're not the only one who's upset," Hasumi replied, sighing as she set down her own newspapers. "You know, Arata, chances are it's probably gonna keep going on for a while now, unfortunately. Public's going into a bit of a panic now. You remember that cult, right?"

Memories of the hooded figures at the construction site flashed across Takahashi's mind. Nervously, he replied, "The one from the news? Yeah. Why?"

"Police just found another mass grave, near one of the high schools too. Newspaper sales are gonna be off the chart. My dad's freaking out big-time about it."

Takahashi tried to suppress a giggle as he imagined his boss being extremely scared. "Well..." he said, "that's, uh...that's quite a shocker..."

"I know, right? He's also thinking about taking me out of school and homeschooling me instead. Can you believe it? I mean, all those mass graves are nowhere near _our_ school. There's no way that cult is operating near where we live. Why should we have to live in fear when they're not even near us?"

Takahashi immediately remembered the construction site again, knowing that it wasn't far off from their workplace. He wanted to tell Hasumi about it, but then, he remembered the details of the cult's crimes from the news. They may have let him off the hook because he seemed to be a deity to them, but if he said even a single detail about the cultists at the construction site, who knows what would happen to him afterwards. Would any remaining cultists track him down to the ends of the earth and slaughter him good for opening up his mouth? And what about his mother and Hasumi?...

"Arata?" Hasumi's voice suddenly pulled Takahashi back to reality.

"Huh?"

"You okay? You looked a little spaced-out."

"Huh? ...Oh, it's nothing, Hasumi. I was just thinking about something that's happening at home." He set down his newspapers, sighing heavily. "But yeah, that cult's gonna be something." Takahashi stared at the massive stack of newspapers that he, Hasumi, and several others had to sort out. "This is gonna be hell."

"Yep," Hasumi replied in agreement. Then, she looked across her shoulder. "Arata. Look over there."

"Why, what?"

Takahashi followed her gaze and saw that she was looking at her father, who was walking with a girl around his and Hasumi's ages. She sported magenta hair and sea-green eyes, and she was also wearing a purple headband with a mint ribbon hanging from the right side of her head, a pale-green dress, and a light-blue waistcoat. It struck Takahashi as strange; for some outlandish reason, as he stared at the girl, he felt as if he knew her well from someplace, even though it was very obvious he had never seen her before in his entire life. However, he remained silent as Itagaki and the girl approached him and Hasumi.

"Hasumi-chan," he said, focusing on only his daughter, much to Takahashi's annoyance, "this is Kimiko Nishimura. She is new to this job, so be sure to show her the ropes." Itagaki glared at the girl. "Do not make me regret hiring you in the first place. Is that understood?"

Kimiko nodded calmly and modestly, which surprised Takahashi; usually, people would be visibly intimidated by Itagaki's harsh demeanor.

As Itagaki left, Kimiko faced him and Hasumi, flashing a tiny smile. Hasumi smiled back.

"Hi there, Kimiko," she greeted. "As you already heard, I'm Hasumi. This over here is Arata. So...newbie, huh?"

Kimiko nodded. "Yeah."

"So, I assume you're taking over Gensai-san's route?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, I guess that's your newspapers." Hasumi pointed to a rather short stack of newspapers, which shocked Takahashi.

"Aw, come on!" he exclaimed. "The new girl gets the short end of the stick?! What can of bull is-"

Hasumi glared at Takahashi, using the intimidating expression she obviously inherited from her father.

"Well, she _is_ new, after all," she replied. "We can't have her stressing out already at this job."

Silenced, he merely nodded in response. Then, Takahashi stared at Kimiko, who already started gathering the newspapers from her pile. He still couldn't shake off the feeling of familiarity towards her. He was confident it wasn't just some sort of crush on Kimiko; he was already focused on Hasumi. Then...what was it?

"So," Kimiko said suddenly, attracting his attention, "Arata, right?" He nodded in response. "What's it like, working here?"

"So-so," replied Takahashi honestly, hoping that a friendly conversation would help alleviate this strange feeling. "Sometimes there's big workloads, sometimes there's days where things go really slow. I personally prefer the slow days. Less packaging to work with equals a happy me."

"I see."

Takahashi blinked in confusion, raising an eyebrow. There was something that unsettled him about the tone of Kimiko's voice when she said that last sentence. It was..._strange_, to say the least. Like she had something to hide. However, before he could think any further about it, Hasumi's voice called to him.

"Arata, we've got more newspapers!"

"Goddamn it..."

* * *

**Hashimoto Limousine**

"Everything is controlled by business, Chouko," said Sadahiro as he coolly took a small sip of wine, his leg crossed over the other, while Chouko watched him in what can be perceived as curiosity. "Without business, there would not be any goods and services to satisfy the consumers." He was silent as he took another sip, then exhaled calmly as soon as he was finished. "The world revolves around business in order to survive, if I do say so myself."

Chouko merely stared at her father, unresponsive. However, he merely chuckled and resumed speaking.

"During the dawn of the human race, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers. It was their primal, natural instinct to gather all of the necessary materials for them to survive, despite their scarcity in an otherwise unforgiving environment. As the human race evolved, we reject any and all incivility and like to believe that we are civilized, devoid of any primal thought or capability. But that's a lie. We've all inherited our ancestors' primal behaviors. Shelter and nourishment have been merely replaced by goods and services." He stared at Chouko. "Tell me, Chouko, who said that quote I just recited?"

"Alastair O'Connor," replied Chouko, seemingly acting on instinct. "American businessman and entrepreneur."

Sadahiro smiled. "Correct, Chouko. And why, by any chance, did I just recite O'Connor's quote?"

"To prove that our consumerist behavior has been around since the dawn of the human race. It's just manifested a different form since the ancient times."

"A great and intimate amount of knowledge and understanding of that," Sadahiro said, "is indicative of a great Hashimoto. Chouko, you'll do this family proud."

"I am pleased to hear that from you, Father," Chouko replied without emotion. "Those words mean a lot to me."

It was silent in the limousine. Chouko sat on her seat, still, while Sadahiro continued to sip from his wineglass.

Finally, after a minute of this passed, Chouko piped, "Father?"

"Yes, Chouko?"

"Don't you think you're drinking a little too much wine? Alcoholic intoxication would no doubt damage your ability to run Hashimoto Communications."

Sadahiro's smile widened as he set down his wineglass. "Oh, Chouko. I was afraid you never noticed that."

"I noticed that convenience the moment you took the first sip. I only stayed silent because you were talking first. Respect always comes first in business."

"Ah, you make your father proud every passing minute. I cannot wait until you inherit the family business."

"The feeling is mutual, Father."

Chouko returned Sadahiro's smile with a tiny one of her own, though it lacked in jubilant energy, something her father had failed to notice. Not that it mattered to her anyway. The silver-haired girl sighed softly and resumed staring out of the limousine window, imagining all of the things that were passing by.

After all, one could definitely never see anything through windows blacked out with tint.

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters  
Tokyo, Japan**

_32..._

_33..._

_34..._

Chouko stared indifferently at the screen as it continued to count the floors the personal elevator was passing as it continued ascending upward to her father's private office at the top floor of the Hashimoto Communications Headquarters. Then, the silver-haired girl glanced across her shoulder, half-expecting herself to look out of the elevator windows. Then, she remembered that the elevator didn't have any windows. It was just a simple elevator.

She glanced at the screen again as it continued counting the floors.

_45..._

_46..._

_47..._

_48..._

The building had a total of 150 floors, something Chouko ever since her first visit here, ten years ago.

Glancing at her father, she saw that he was reading some papers that he brought along, looking rather occupied with them. Chouko always wondered how he managed to efficiently pass the time inside the elevator. Her, she didn't have anything that could entertain her for the duration of this long elevator trip.

...Nothing except for her private thoughts...

Her mind first settled on the business and management book she read in the private library earlier that morning. Chouko tried to remember all of the passages that caught her attention, but it didn't take long for her to become bored by it. She desperately wanted to lie against the elevator wall to rest, for but then, she remembered all of the times Sadahiro told her that it was always proper for a Hashimoto to remain businesslike while outside in public at all times. He definitely wouldn't even tolerate a simple rest, even if no one else could see her, so Chouko instinctively thought the better of it.

Then, all of a sudden, her wandering mind came to a complete halt. The familiar tunes of Junna's piano settled onto her head like a comforting blanket.

_68..._

_69..._

_..._

_70..._

_..._

_..._

_71..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_72..._

All sense of time was lost to Chouko as she closed her eyes, sighed softly, and imagined herself skillfully playing multiple pieces on Junna's piano, their rhythmic tunes bursting across the atmosphere like multiple barrages of colorful fireworks, varying in speed and strength, but all being successfully played out using the skill of her hands. She imagined herself playing the works of Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin... She couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.

In this imagination, she felt _free_...

Then, she felt her mind settle on another piece of music...the one she was intrigued by, out of all the others... _That tune_...

How she wished to find out what that was... Yet, she didn't dare to ask Junna, not even once. One way or another, her father would find out about it...

"Chouko?"

Chouko opened her eyes and realized that she suddenly started humming. Cutting off her voice, she looked up at her father, who was staring down at her with an expression of disapproval. She immediately realized why: while immersed in the safe confines of her thoughts, she had subconsciously started humming the enigmatic tune a bit too loudly. The teenager glumly looked down at the floor of the elevator, strands of her hair obscuring her disappointed face.

"I'm sorry, Father," she whispered.

Sadahiro sighed and put a hand over his face, emphasizing his disappointment. "How many times do I have to tell you this so you can finally listen?" he asked. "There's no reason for a Hashimoto to associate himself or herself with trivial matters, such as Junna-san's piano."

"It won't happen again, Father," replied Chouko.

"It'd better not, Chouko. You can't let that music distract you during more serious matters. It'll affect your abilities in handling big business."

"I swear on the Hashimoto name, Father, that I will never, _ever_ concern myself with the piano again."

Sadahiro looked closely into Chouko's face. "Look at me, Chouko, and repeat those words, right in my face."

Chouko looked up at her father, her sadness retreating. "I swear on the Hashimoto name, Father, that I will never, _ever_ concern myself with the piano again."

"Do you have your word on that, Chouko?"

"You have my word on it, Father. I will never do anything to disappoint you ever again."

"I hope so." Sadahiro stared back at the elevator doors. "Promises are like contracts, conceived between two or more people. Contracts of trust. They bind the souls and minds of those people together. Should one of the participants break a promise, then the trust formed between these people will be shattered. Trust is the most important emotion that can be felt between two people, Chouko. I hope you understand that, is that right?"

"I understand that perfectly, Father. I will never, _ever_ break the trust between us."

Sadahiro's eyes narrowed. "Good, because that trust is running on its last thread. One more incident like this and God knows what I'll do."

Chouko didn't react even the slightest to those words. She knew her father was merely employing his intimidation tactics that he always used during business meetings, whenever things weren't going his way. Being his daughter, she bore witness to the businesslike emotions that he would also use in his private life.

"However," Sadahiro continued, attracting Chouko's attention, "I _do_ appreciate your unconditional honesty about this inexcusable affair, Chouko. You may go on to disobey me and my creeds, but I have raised you well enough for you to admit your wrongdoings. And for that, I am proud of you."

"Thank you, Father," Chouko replied.

Sadahiro pursed his lips together in response, just before the elevator bell sounded, signaling their arrival at the office.

The elevator doors slid open and both Hashimotos stepped out of the elevator and into the large, high-end office. At the front desk, the secretary, a young and petite woman with blue hair, stood up, a clipboard clutched tightly in one hand as she approached Sadahiro.

"Hashimoto-sensei," she greeted.

"What's the status report about the ratings for all 150 company-owned channels?" Hashimoto asked.

"At a record high, as usual. There was a little dip in the news section during the past week, but nothing to be overly concerned about."

"Tono-san, is that right?"

"Yes, Hashimoto-sensei, that is correct."

"And how long have you been working in this position again?"

"Uh, about six weeks. Why do you ask, sir?"

Sadahiro glared at her with deadly eyes. "In this business, _any_ dip in ratings is something to be overly concerned about. Sadahiro Communications always, and I do mean _always_, aims for the highest, and once we get to the maximum point, we break through the roof and reach higher. We do not just sit there, watch as ratings drop, no matter how minimal the drop may be, and just bat an eyelid at that development. We _work_ to rectify this! So please, Tono-san, don't spend this job telling me that there is nothing to be overly concerned about when the channels in the news section, or any other section for that matter, suffers a little dip in the ratings!" He cleared his throat as Tono trembled in terror, then faced her again, now calm. "Now then, do I make myself clear enough, Tono-san?"

"Crystal clear, Hashimoto-sensei," replied Tono nervously. Sadahiro merely grunted and walked off towards his desk, while Chouko approached Tono.

"Tono-san?" she asked.

Tono turned to Chouko, relieved that she had someone else to talk to. "Oh, hey Chouko-chan."

"You've definitely been working here for _more_ than six weeks."

"Ah, so you've caught that little tidbit, huh?" Tono sighed in frustration as she glared at Sadahiro, who was busy organizing several files. "After three months of working this job, your father finally gets my name right. _But_ in a nice little twist of fate, he doesn't remember how long I've been working as his secretary." She shrugged dismissively. "I'm gonna guess he's even forgotten why I've decided to take the job in the first place."

"You needed the money to pay for your mother's hospital bills," Chouko explained with her usual tone of indifference. "My father hired you because he was too bored to realize that you were posing as another candidate for the job. He has yet to know your real name, Haruka Teshima."

Haruka's eyes widened in shock as she looked back at Chouko.

"You...You _knew_?"

Chouko shrugged dismissively. "You have a habit of talking to yourself a bit too loudly when you're under pressure. I happened to eavesdrop one day while my father was in the bathroom just after he reprimanded you for organizing his files the wrong way. I apologize if you feel that your privacy has been violated-"

"No, no, there's nothing to apologize about!" Haruka's lips curved into a widening smile. "In fact, I'm glad someone like you managed to learn my secret."

Chouko nodded at her in response, still emotionless. She then glanced back at her father, who had just started dialing on his phone.

"My father doesn't take kindly to liars," she said, almost in a whisper.

"Huh?" Haruka looked at Chouko, confused.

"If my father finds out you've been lying to him for so long, then you shall be fired." The silver-haired teenager looked back at the secretary. "And to be honest, Teshima-san, I never liked the last secretary Father employed. So do not worry. Your secret is safe with me..._Tono-san_."

Haruka blinked at Chouko, still confused. Then, she realized why she called her by her alias. With a satisfied smile, she nodded.

"Thank you, Chouko-chan..." she said.

"You're welcome, sensei," Sadahiro said, interrupting their conversation as he hung up on his phone and looked at Haruka. "Torii-san?"

Chouko saw Haruka's eyelid twitch upon being referred to by the wrong name. However, she regained her composure and replied, "Yes, Hashimoto-sensei?"

"I want you to reschedule next Saturday's appointment to the next available slot. I've just been informed of a new decision by the board."

"Which is?"

Sadahiro's chest swelled up with pride, a telltale sign that something was happening that will benefit him and/or the company. Chouko listened in intently.

"Well," he explained as he grinned, "one of the company's branches has just finally accepted our offer to send over some of its high-school student employees to have a nice week-long tour of the company and get an idea on how it works. To influence the newest generation of business workers, so to speak. The sole purpose behind the tour." He chuckled as he rubbed his thumb and index finger together coolly. "And to think, the company who accepted our offer happens to be one of our underrated newspaper branches, more or less. Maybe their recommendations of the company could give our newspaper sales a good boost."

"Okay," Haruka replied as she began scribbling down notes on her clipboard. "Rescheduling next Saturday's appointment to next available slot..." After she was done writing, she looked up at Sadahiro again. "Okay, so, when and where exactly are the students coming over, Sadahiro-sensei?"

"Next Friday, at three o'clock sharp, at this very office." Sadahiro then looked at Chouko. "Oh, and Chouko?"

"Yes, Father?" asked Chouko, tilting her head slightly in curiosity.

"These students are gonna be staying over at our house for that entire week. The company wants them to have 24-7 exposure and detailed knowledge of the life of a successful person like myself. So therefore, I want you to be on your best, best behavior. They all must learn that they can easily be like a Hashimoto in spite of their ages. None of that ridiculous piano nonsense anymore, just trademark Hashimoto behavior. Is that understood, Chouko?"

Chouko nodded indifferently. "Understood, Father. I shall be on my best behavior."

Sadahiro's tone was rather strict and terse. "I dearly hope so."

* * *

**Workplace of Arata Takahashi  
Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"HASUMI-CHAN, NISHIMURA, TAKAHASHI!" Itagaki's voice hollered across the paper-sorting facility, startling everyone, Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi included.

"Yes, Itagaki-sensei?" Takahashi asked irritably as his employer approached him and the girls.

"You three have all been randomly selected to participate in a tour at Hashimoto Communications, this facility's parent corporation. This lil' tour will also include having to stay at Sadahiro Hashimoto's high-end, glamorous Hashimoto Manor. For one week, you'll all be with the Hashimoto family, 24-7, starting next Friday."

Takahashi, Hasumi, or even Itagaki were unable to notice Kimiko's small, satisfied smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like things are starting to already come in full circle! Don't worry, everyone, it is just the beginning! So, it looks like Yuri's reincarnated form has met up with Otonashi's and Iwasawa's! And it looks like they're set up to meet up with Kanade's reincarnated form as well! And speaking of Kanade, man, it seems like she's definitely being held back A LOT by her father in her new life. What will happen next? Stay tuned!
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	4. A Walk Home

**CHAPTER 3: A WALK HOME**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

* * *

**Workplace of Arata Takahashi  
Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"Uh...come again?..." asked Takahashi, stunned at his employer's abrupt announcement.

Itagaki glared at Takahashi with a foul expression, and replied, "Hasumi-chan, Nishimura, and _you_-" Takahashi growled at his tone. "-have all been selected to tour Hashimoto Communications, which owns this very facility. You three will be staying with the Hashimoto family for a full week."

"Yeah, did you mention manor, by any chance?"

"I did. What about it?"

Takahashi's tone was becoming increasingly enthusiastic. "You said we're staying at this manor, is that correct, Itagaki-sensei?"

"Yes, that's goddamn correct-"

"**YAHOO**!" The other employees stopped, startled by the outburst, and watched Takahashi leap up in the air, a clenched fist raised in the air. "I get to stay over at a MANSION! For a week, no less! HA! I'm finally gonna be living the high life! Thank you, God, for this miracle! HA HA HA!"

"I see someone's excited..." Hasumi commented, her lips cracking into a tiny, amused smile.

"Damn right, I'm excited!" exclaimed Takahashi as he began prancing around in excitement. "At least I don't have to deal with my rundown trap of a house!"

Itagaki rolled his eyes, evidently not as amused as his daughter. "Heh. Yeah, well Takahashi, you're not gonna be meeting up with the Hashimotos until another goddamn week. So now is not the goddamn time to start celebrating and dancing around like a goddamn idiot. GET BACK TO GODDAMN WORK!"

Takahashi nodded happily, unconcerned that he had to wait for a week to finally start living what he called the high life, and started stacking his newspapers at a faster pace than normal. Itagaki snorted in sarcastic amusement and walked away, muttering something along the lines of "Should mention goddamn manors more". Meanwhile, Hasumi and Kimiko watched Takahashi commit to his work, the former looking rather impressed.

"Well," she remarked, "that's the first time I've seen Arata stack so much newspapers without uttering so much as a partial complaint. Who would've known?"

However, Kimiko ignored Hasumi, instead resuming work on her own newspapers, her smile still in place.

_"Well, this was unexpected,"_ she thought. _"Living with the Hashimoto family for a week? God really must be on my side for this. I should take this to my advantage..."_

* * *

**Several hours later**

Takahashi walked out of the facility, humming a merry tune to himself. He never had a more exciting and wondrous day than today. After all, he had been told of a great opportunity that had fallen onto his lap. He was gonna be staying with the Hashimoto family, possibly one of the most prominent families in Japan, for a single week. A single week! More than enough time for him to live the life of a king, and maybe even get some pointers on how to build a successful career and get himself a great amount of wealth and prominence. Oh, how he couldn't wait for this week to pass so he could enjoy the following one!

From what he had been told, he was scheduled to go to the Hashimoto Communications headquarters complex in downtown Tokyo on April 25 and go up to the building's topmost floor, where Sadahiro Hashimoto's office was located. He had to be present by three o'clock sharp, otherwise he would be out of the tour for good. As for what would happen once he got to the office in time, Takahashi didn't really care. All he really wanted to do was live inside the Hashimoto Manor.

_"Everything's starting to go my way,"_ he thought. _"Hasumi's starting to get concerned for my well-being, and now, I can live in a _mansion_! A mansion that belongs to one of the richest families in Japan, nonetheless! Which would give me opportunities to be alone with Hasumi! Oh, this is gonna be _good_! Thank you, God, for this!"_

Approaching his bicycle, Takahashi was about to mount it when he saw Kimiko standing near the curb, attempting to hail a taxi, but without success. When she yelled out in frustration, the redheaded teenager exhaled and approached her, taking his bicycle along with him.

"You okay there?" he asked, catching her attention.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Kimiko watched as the vehicles passed by her. "Never knew trying to get a cab in the city was hell."

"Tell me about it. That's why I ride a bike." Takahashi gestured to his bicycle. Kimiko raised a suspicious eyebrow at him, her lips pursing.

"Are you giving me a ride?" she asked.

Takahashi blinked. "Um...well, no. I mean, if you don't want to." His eyes then widened when Kimiko narrowed her eyes at him. "I mean, I wasn't actually _asking_ you if you wanted a ride, I was only pointing out why I ride a bike instead of trying to call a taxi. I mean, we only just met; why would I wanna give you a ride?"

"Oh." Kimiko glanced back at the street and saw there weren't anymore taxis in sight. "Well, I wouldn't want a ride from a complete stranger." Then, she looked back at Takahashi. "But I _would_ like it if you just walked me home. I...I'm not really comfortable with walking alone, if you know what I mean."

Takahashi blinked, then smiled. "Yeah, sure," he replied. "I'll walk you home."

Then, a serious expression came onto Kimiko's face.

"But if you try and make any moves on me, I swear to God, I'll-"

"GOD, NO!" shouted Takahashi in disgust. "I'm not a pervert, all right?! No way I'd take advantage of you, or any other girl! Besides, I'm already..."

Takahashi's voice trailed off; Kimiko crossed her arms in wait.

"You're already what?" she asked.

"Nothing..."

Kimiko's eyes narrowed again, causing Takahashi to blush in embarrassment. Then, she smiled at him.

"Alright, let's get going then. My siblings are waiting for me to get back home. I've got some dinner to cook for 'em."

The magenta-haired girl began walking down the sidewalk at a fast pace, which startled Takahashi. She then turned back to look at him after a few seconds.

"Come on! Arata, is that right?"

"Yeah, that's my name." Takahashi smiled. "And I'm coming! Just don't go too fast... Kimiko, right?"

Kimiko nodded as she resumed walking. "Yep, that's right."

Takahashi's smiled widened, which greatly surprised him. It wasn't some sort of romantic emotion he was feeling for Kimiko, far from it. Instead...he felt as if he was back with an old friend...which surprised him even more. After all, there was no way he could've possibly met Kimiko before...

* * *

**Near the suburbs  
The outskirts of **Nishitōkyō****

The walk out of the city was spent mostly in silence, although Takahashi spent a majority of it casting curious glares at Kimiko. He didn't know why in the world he seemed to know her so well, even if they had just met. It was actually starting to scare him a little. He didn't want to look into it, only to find nothing crucial and look like some sort of idiot. All he can do right now is try and keep looking at her, see if there were any visual cues that could stir something in his memory.

Unfortunately, Kimiko noticed Takahashi's glances. She stopped and glared at him with a death stare, which caused him to freeze in his tracks.

"Okay, Mr. Pervert," she said, "I told you to not try and make any moves on me!"

"I'm not trying to make any moves on you!" Takahashi protested as he sweated profusely.

Kimiko narrowed her eyes at him. "Then why do you keep ogling me like that!" She wrapped her arms around her torso defensively. "Damn pervert!"

"I'm not ogling you! You just..." He hesitated briefly, wondering what he should say. "You just remind me of someone, that's all!"

The magenta-haired girl looked away, looking unconvinced. "That'd better be the truth! Because there's no way I'm gonna be walking around with a pervert!"

Takahashi sweat-dropped at Kimiko's stubbornness, but he continued to walk alongside her, dragging along his bicycle as he did so. After walking down several more blocks, the two teenagers reached a four-way intersection. Takahashi recognized the intersection as the same one near the construction site...

"Hey, Arata?"

The redheaded teenager was surprised to hear his companion actually talking to him after their awkward conversation earlier. He sighed heavily.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"What do you think of your job, really?"

Takahashi crossed his arms. "And why do you wanna know?"

Kimiko looked at him. "Well, I wanna make sure I landed myself the right job. Might as well learn from someone who's already experienced at it."

He shrugged. "It's okay, I guess. Average."

"I can tell a liar when I see one, Arata," said Kimiko flatly. "From what I can tell, you really don't seem to like the job."

"GODDAMN IT, MY JOB FREAKING SUCKS!" Takahashi kicked his bicycle, startling Kimiko. "My boss is always on my ass over every single thing known to man, I'm always getting tons of newspapers every day, my paper route is so long and tiring, and worst of all, I have to work alongside possibly the hottest girl in Japan, knowing that she will never go out with me, or show any affection to me! Yeah, that's how stupid it is. I don't know how I landed that job in the first place!"

By the time Takahashi ended his furious tirade, Kimiko's mouth was open. When he looked at her, she closed her mouth and looked back at the crosswalk.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Arata," she replied emphatically. "I...I assume the girl you're talking about is Hasumi?"

"What girl?" he asked absentmindedly.

Kimiko looked back at him. "You said you were mad because you were working with, quote, the hottest girl in Japan. That's gotta be Hasumi, right?"

Takahashi's skin paled, and his legs began to buckle. "I-I said _that_?"

"...Yes- EEP!"

Takahashi had frantically grabbed Kimiko by her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.

"You _cannot_ tell anyone else I ever said that!" he whispered through clenched teeth. "_Especially_ not Hasumi. Are we clear on that?"

Kimiko nodded nervously, allowing Takahashi to release her. She dusted her shirt before looking at her companion, who was still pale-faced. Then, she smirked.

"Well, at least I know you're not a pervert," she said, elbowing his arm gently. A bead of sweat merely dropped from Takahashi's face in response.

Finally, the two were given the signal to use the crosswalk. As they walked across the street, Takahashi glared at Kimiko.

"Alright then, I told you a personal detail, unintentionally so. Now pay up."

Kimiko scoffed. "What the heck are you talking about, _lover-boy_?"

Takahashi growled angrily, then replied, "You tell me a personal detail of your own. So we're even. I'm not gonna just let you get away with a secret of mine."

The girl blinked, then shrugged. "Well, might as well. I never was one to be unfair to anyone else, so..." She put a finger to her chin, wondering what her reply would be. Finally, she looked at Takahashi and said, "When I was in the first grade, I accidentally pooped in class and no one noticed, though I was scared that someone would indeed notice." Kimiko looked back at the sidewalk as the two finished crossing. "There, we're even. Happy now?"

However, Takahashi wasn't satisfied. "That's _it_?" he asked. "_That's_ your personal detail to share?"

"You wanted one, so I gave one to you."

"Without any fear whatsoever. I'd be totally embarrassed if I had pooped in class and no one noticed! I wouldn't wanna tell anyone!"

"You pooped in class, mister?" a young voice asked, causing Takahashi's skin to crawl. He and Kimiko looked at their left and saw two young children eating ice cream. One was an older boy and the other was a little girl, both apparently siblings, since they had identical brown hair.

"NO, I DIDN'T POOP IN CLASS WHEN I WAS IN THE FIRST GRADE!" Takahashi shouted, although the children were already giggling and running away. "Damn it."

Kimiko giggled. "Nice handling there, Arata."

"Goddamn it, you made that up, didn't you?!" snarled Takahashi.

She shrugged dismissively. "So what if I did? Why would I wanna share a personal detail with you?"

"Because I shared mine accidentally! And I thought you said you were a fair person?"

"I was being fair, Arata. That whole first-grade thing _did_ happen. I got over it, though. I was a very stupid kid back then." Kimiko glanced at Takahashi, a twinkle of mischief present in her eye. "But you, having a hopeless crush on someone you see every day? Now _that's_ something."

_"Oh, why the hell did I decide to be nice and walk her home?"_ Takahashi thought in misery.

Noticing his expression, Kimiko giggled again. "Don't worry, Arata, I won't spit it out to anyone else."

"Still, you'd better give me a secret of your own, one that you're truly ashamed of, one that I have to keep to myself with all my might! THEN we'll be even!"

Kimiko sighed. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"Hell, yeah! I just told you something sensitive to me! And you expect me to be NOT serious about it?"

"Well, I have no secrets to tell you for now. Maybe when I remember one, I'll tell it to you."

"Fine." However, Takahashi sensed that Kimiko was lying, but decided to drop the subject, for he didn't want to irk her any further.

After a few minutes passed, Kimiko asked, "Do you watch the news often, Arata?"

"Not really. I don't have much concerns on company scandals and psycho cults and all that other crap."

"Oh. So...you don't know who Sadahiro Hashimoto is..."

"Actually, I do!" exclaimed Takahashi, his excitement rising. "I mean, who doesn't? And don't you believe it? We're gonna be staying at his mansion for a week! His _mansion_, for crying out loud!" He spun around happily and stopped in front of Kimiko, causing her to stop walking. "Isn't that awesome or what?!"

"Yeah, I guess..." However, Kimiko's voice trailed off as she looked away, staring at (or more like through) the passing vehicles absentmindedly as she resumed walking, her lips pursed. Takahashi noticed her strange expression as she passed by him and ran up to her side.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," she replied absentmindedly. "It's just... Well, I don't really care that much about mansions and wealth and such-"

"Why? Being rich is _awesome_! You've got servants at your every whim, you have a lot of money so you can buy anything you want, and best of all, you get a big house with a lot of awesome rooms that you can use! It's way better than having to live in a small house with limited rooms and a boring lifestyle-"

"Excuse me?!" Kimiko faced Takahashi. "I happen to be VERY happy and content with MY house and MY lifestyle, alright?!"

"Sorry, sorry!" the redhead exclaimed. "It's just... It's gotta be awesome to have at least a lotta money that you can use!"

Kimiko looked away stubbornly. "I'm actually not a big fan of wealth. Too much money leads to greed and arrogance. It brings out the worst in people."

"Oh... Well, no offense, but I'm a fan of wealth myself. Especially since my own home and means of living are rather..._crappy_..."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Kimiko gave a small smile. "Well, if you _do_ manage to become wealthy, don't lose yourself in it all."

"Hey, I won't. How in the world would I lose myself in my wealth?"

At that moment, he realized that they were in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, which he quickly recognized as belonging to his paper route.

"Well, this is it," Kimiko said, catching his attention. She was standing in front of one of the houses, which had two floors, a front porch, and nicely-kept grass in its front yard. The house as a whole appeared rather well-kept and cared for. Takahashi's eyes widened in surprise.

"This is it?"

"Yeah, this is my house." She smiled teasingly. "Better not memorize the address or anything else perverted, Takahashi."

"Well, it wouldn't really matter, since this is on my paper route and all."

Kimiko blinked, then frowned. "So, you're the paperboy for this street?"

"Yep."

"So you're the one who threw that paper through my window last week and broke the new vase?"

Takahashi sweat-dropped. "Uh...I was out sick at the time..."

Kimiko's frowned became more pronounced, but then, she shrugged dismissively.

"Anyway, thanks for walking me home," she said.

"You're welcome, I guess," replied Takahashi. As he watched Kimiko walk up her porch, he called instinctively, "Hey, Kimiko!"

The magenta-haired teenager turned around, looking at him. "Yeah?"

Takahashi hesitated. He wanted to ask how she was so familiar to him, for he knew she definitely did not remind him of someone else in his life. And it definitely wasn't an amorous love he was feeling. Whatever it was, it was a curious feeling he was experiencing, and he desperately wanted to find out what it was.

"By...By any chance," he said, carefully choosing his words, "the moment you first saw me...did...did you recognize me, in any way?"

"Recognize you?" Kimiko raised an eyebrow, surprised by his question. "Why would I recognize you? I've never met you in my life."

"Oh. Well, sorry for asking. You probably need to get inside, do whatever you need to do-"

"It's okay, Arata," interrupted Kimiko. "You didn't waste my time. See ya tomorrow."

Takahashi nodded, giving her a small smile. "Yeah. See ya."

He turned to the opposite direction and prepared to walk away when Kimiko called out to him.

"Hey, uh, Arata?"

"Yeah?"

"Didn't you have your bicycle with you when we were walking?"

"Hm?" Takahashi looked around, only to realize his bicycle was missing. His eyes widened in horror when he realized that he might have left it over at the four-way intersection, near the crosswalk. "OH GOD, NO! NOT AGAIN!" He dashed down the sidewalk as fast as he could, calling out, "THANKS, KIMIKO!"

"You're welcome..." Kimiko whispered. She then approached her front door and unlocked it. As she did, a thought came to her mind.

_"You may not be familiar to me in any way, Arata...but you _do _seem to remind me of someone I know... Who, though?..."_

* * *

**Elsewhere in ****Nishitōkyō******

"Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form... Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change... Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy... Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life... And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits... Repeat five times...or four times?... Wait, is it four times or five times?"_  
_

The teenage boy stood over a grisly scene. In front of him was what appeared to be a fresh, makeshift grave. At his right was the corpse of a woman, her skin pale, her hair and clothes sopping wet. At his left, a severely charred skeleton lay, burned beyond any sort of recognition. And directly behind him laid a second woman's body, her wrists and ankles bound, and with a plastic bag still wrapped over her head as her empty, wide eyes looked through it.

"Hmmm... Let's see..." The boy closely examined the paper he was holding, which read a transcript of some sort. He was obviously not bothered by the horrible sights that were surrounding him. "Okay, so you have to recite the ritual chant once before you set up the sacrifices, then recite four more times afterward." He glanced at the bodies and the grave that surrounded him. "So, that technically means I had to recite it four times... Aw, damn it, I did this process wrong!"

In frustration, the boy kicked at the fresh earth that constituted the makeshift grave; in doing so, he exposed a pale, grimy hand that stuck out of the grave, its fingers still slightly outstretched, as if the person were calling for help. Then, the boy sighed and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, no matter," he muttered. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. And try again I shall, or my name isn't Fuyuhiko Ezakiya!"

The black-haired teenager looked up, his emotionless eyes softening as he stared at the fifth corpse that hung directly above him, being suspended from a tree branch by the neck only. Small droplets of blood dripped down from the man's mouth and fell onto the boy's forehead, but once again, he wasn't daunted.

"Hey, d'you believe there's some sort of higher power out there?" Fuyuhiko asked. Then, he looked around at the other four corpses. "Any of you?" After a brief silence, Fuyuhiko continued, "My grandparents always did. And man, did they take all that seriously or what?" He sat down, sighing heavily. "Yep, they really did knock their beliefs into me. Literally, sometimes. And, to be honest, I do agree, I believe there's some higher power out there, pulling the strings of this world.

"Only...it's not the higher power my grandparents believed in."

Fuyuhiko looked over at the skeleton and nudged its bony arm. "You probably already know that higher power as God. Yeah, I once believed in him. But then, I thought, 'If God does exist, then why does he make us humans suffer like this?' All this war and murder and robbing and rape and all that other crap, I mean, it just isn't in the right mind of a supreme deity like God to just give us humans such torture if there isn't a plain resolution in sight.

"So, one day, I just thought, 'Maybe it's because we're worshiping the wrong god'. And therefore, heh, I kept hopping around, experimenting with many, and I mean _many_ religions in search of the right one, the right path. Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, Confucianism, some indigenous African and Native American ones here and there..." Fuyuhiko put a finger to his chin in thought. "Wow, I never realized I experimented with so many... Well, anyway, _none_ of the religions I tried seemed to work for me. I never found anything that really made sense. I considered giving up and just going atheist.

"But then, I see the news a couple of days ago, about this cult that's taking Japan by storm! So, I look them up, see what they believe in. Judging by their core ideology, it seems like they're worshiping the _Earth_ itself! It really made sense to me! I mean, this planet is _teeming_ with life! It honestly wouldn't surprise me if the planet was alive itself. And we've been treating the Earth like crap! We knock down trees, steal its gas and oil, and pollute its air, all because of our selfish, consumerist desires. No wonder why we've been given so much sinful crap! The Earth is MAD at us! And it's time people woke up, just like those cultists did!

"Just like _I_ did!" The teenager laughed. "But of course, those silly, low-level mongrels don't even have the mental _capacity_ to comprehend this awesomeness!"

Fuyuhiko stood up and looked up at the hanging corpse. At this point, his entire forehead and some of his cheek was dripping with his victim's blood.

"BUT ONE DAY, WE'LL ALL SHOW THEM!" he shouted to the heavens. "WE'LL SHOW ALL OF THOSE IGNORANT FOOLS, OR MY NAME ISN'T FUYUHIKO EZAKIYA!"

"Hey, you!" another voice shouted, causing Fuyuhiko to turn around. A patrolman was approaching him, a flashlight in his hand. "This part of the nature reserve is restricted by visitors! I'm gonna ask you to leave now, or you'll receive an outstanding fine!" Then, he spotted the gruesome sight. "What in God's name?!"

Fuyuhiko grinned calmly as he unsheathed a bloodstained dagger. "Sorry, man," he said. "Nothing personal."

Then, he charged, prepared to make the strike...

* * *

**Nishimura Household**

Kimiko brought down her knife, making another slice from the carrot she retrieved from inside her refrigerator. As she did, she thought about Takahashi.

_"Arata really interests me..."_ she thought. _"He obviously seems to be living a crappy life, otherwise he would not yearn for excessive wealth. But he doesn't seem like the type to get carried away in it all... Maybe if he learned the true reason why I got a job in his facility..."_ Kimiko blinked, and shook her head. _"Oh, what the hell am I doing? I can't be thinking about this! No, Arata will probably report me or something stupid. He may be a nice guy, but I wouldn't trust him with my life."_

She stopped cutting at the last thought.

_"...Would I trust him with my life? I may have just met him, but...he _does _seem familiar to me..."_ A thought of the red-haired boy, smiling one of his friendly smiles at her, crossed her mind. _"Maybe I should've answered his question differently. He _does _seem familiar somehow... I can't recall where, though..."_

Once again, she shook her head. _"God, my mind keeps wandering! I can't be thinking about him at a time like this! I need to focus on the situation at hand!"_

As she continued slicing the carrot, Kimiko heard the familiar bored sigh of Naomi inside the kitchen. Ignoring it, the older sibling continued slicing the carrots in preparation for dinner. As she did, a grinding sound was heard as Naomi dragged one of the kitchen chairs out and sat down on it.

"How was your game?" Kimiko asked without looking, trying her best to keep her disapproval at bay.

"Why should you be concerned?" replied Naomi, her voice monotone.

"Well, just wanted to know if you had any fun."

"More like wondering if any strangers online asked me out on dates or something along those lines."

Kimiko was briefly silent. "...Did any?..."

"A lot did, as usual." Kimiko shivered slightly at the arrogant tone of Naomi's voice as the latter spoke. "But of course I gave them the cold shoulder."

"That's good." The magenta-haired girl finished slicing her carrot; she moved the slices into a pot and took another carrot to slice. "Naomi-chan?"

Naomi scoffed. "Well, haven't heard _that_ in a long time."

Kimiko's grip on her knife tightened, and her cutting became increasingly aggressive. "You know, Naomi, I try to be nice to you, and I try to do the best I can as your big sister, and I _try_ to understand you. And yet, all you give me is the cold shoulder. Always, always, _always_... You just shove away my love..."

"Well, aren't we getting dramatic here?" Naomi remarked sarcastically.

Upon hearing that sentence, Kimiko slammed down her knife and turned around abruptly, her hair flying as she faced her younger sister, who looked stoic.

"Listen here, Naomi!" she shouted, her spit flying. "What do I have to do to stop you from being so cruel, so hateful, so _judgmental_ to me?! TELL ME!"

Naomi's voice was furious as well. "Well, maybe you can start by being less high and mighty like you always are!"

"High and mighty? What the hell does that mean, Naomi?!"

"You always tell me what to do, you ask how I'm doing each and every time I get back home from school, you always treat me like a baby, you control any and all aspects of my life, you always get on my case because of my grades, and worst of all, YOU KEEP ACTING LIKE YOU'RE MOM! ONLY YOU'RE FAILING MISERABLY IN BEING LIKE MOM!" Naomi's eyes narrowed, her pupils burning with a reserved hatred. "YOU. ARE. **NOT**. MOM. **ONEE-CHAN**!"

Naomi said the last two words with loathing, which irked Kimiko. "I may not be Mom," she snarled angrily, "but I promised her that I'd take care of you, Tamika-chan, and Kaisei-chan! I promised her I'd protect you even if it killed me! I PROMISED HER THAT I WOULD NOT FAIL IN THAT! **I PROMISED HER THAT!**"

"Yeah, well, you're doing a damn poor job at it!" screamed Naomi loudly, stamping her foot. "All you do is just making me hate you even more!"

"WHY THE HELL DO YOU HATE ME, NAOMI?!"

"BECAUSE **YOU** KILLED MOM!"

Kimiko's eyes widened in horror. "What? What the hell are you talking about, Naomi? I did NOTHING!"

"You could've done something about it... You _could've_... But instead, you just hid, like a COWARD!"

The smell of trash, the buzzing of flies, the sounds of her mother moaning... It all came back to Kimiko for a split-second... However, she stood her ground.

"There was _nothing_ that I could've done, Naomi," she whispered softly. "There were many of them, and only two of us. So..." She hesitated, as tears appeared in her eyes, the memory of the incident beginning to take its toll. "So...if you honestly think that my intervention would've been able to make even perhaps the smallest difference, Naomi, then...then you're wrong, as much as I'd want that to be right..." Kimiko looked down at the floor. "I just would've been dead too..."

"WELL THEN, I WOULD'VE PREFERRED IF **YOU** WERE DEAD INSTEAD OF MOM!"

Kimiko gasped and looked at her sister, horrified to hear such a comment from her. Naomi, too, was shocked at saying that.

"I-I..." stuttered Naomi. "I..._Kimiko_-?"

**"YOU BITCH! SO THAT'S IT, ISN'T IT?!"**

Before both of them knew it, Kimiko had tackled Naomi to the floor in a blind rage, her hands tugging aggressively at her sister's collar.

"K-K-Kimiko, I-" began Naomi.

**"SO THAT'S WHY YOU HATE ME, HUH NAOMI?!"** Kimiko continued to scream madly. **"YOU BLAME ME FOR MOM'S DEATH, SO YOU JUST WANT ME TO DIE ALREADY, HUH?! ISN'T THAT RIGHT?! HUH?! _HUH_?! WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT?!"** She pulled Naomi's face close to hers, so she could see her enraged eyes, burning with unimaginable fury and hatred. **"I WISH _I_ DIED INSTEAD TOO! BUT I DIDN'T! SO INSTEAD, I JUST DECIDED TO MAKE THE BEST OF MY NEW CHANCE AT LIFE BY FULFILLING THE PROMISE I MADE TO MOM! AND THAT'S TO WATCH OVER YOU! AND I _WILL_! I WILL, I WILL, I _WILL_!"**

As soon as Kimiko stopped screaming, both sisters heard crying, and they looked to their right, instantly spotting Kaisei. He was sitting against a corner, crying.

"Oh my God, Kaisei-chan!" Kimiko cried as she rushed to her brother's side.

"O-On-Onee-chan..." sobbed Kaisei.

As she hugged her brother comfortingly, Kimiko glared angrily at Naomi, who stood up, looking horrified at what she had started.

"To your room..." the eldest sibling snarled.

"Kimiko, I-" began Naomi, but...

"TO YOUR ROOM!"

Realizing she couldn't reason with Kimiko, Naomi let out a frustrated yell and stormed up the staircase. As she did, Kimiko heard her sister weeping as well, but she ignored instead focusing on her younger brother. As he continued to sob into her shirt, Kimiko nuzzled her cheek against his hair comfortingly, the traumatic memories of the horrible alleyway incident racing across her mind, torturing her. With all of that pressure, she began to cry as well.

_"Oh, I'm sorry, Kaisei, Naomi..."_ she thought. _"I know I let you guys down today. But don't worry. Once I solve this crisis with Hashimoto Communications, then you'll be safe, all of you."_ Kimiko protectively tightened her grip on the sobbing Kaisei. _"I swear to God, you won't have to live in fear again..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have our first interaction between Otonashi and Yuri's reincarnated forms! Interesting, eh? Hopefully I portrayed their conversation efficiently. And it looks like we've got some hints of horror involved in this story. Spooky, eh? O_O And yes, this Fuyuhiko guy will be important later on in the story.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	5. Reunion of the Heavens, Part 1 of 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long delay, everyone. I was so busy with finishing up the fall semester of college, not to mention update my fics over here and at FanFiction.Net. I almost forgot about this fic here, to be perfectly honest. But fortunately, I remembered just as I was doing some work for another fic, and here we are!
> 
> ENJOY!

**CHAPTER 4: REUNION OF THE HEAVENS, PART 1 OF 2**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

* * *

**April 25, 2026**

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor**

"Chouko, we're leaving!" called Sadahiro, his voice booming across the halls of the mansion. "Presenting ourselves in a timely manner is vital!"

"I understand, Father," Chouko replied. "I'm coming."

The silver-haired teenager had just finished brushing her teeth and straightening out her hair in the bathroom. As she stepped out of the room and passed the private room belonging to Junna Ukiyo, Chouko suddenly stopped, for a strangely appealing gleam had caught her attention. She took a peek inside the room.

Inside, Junna's room was average, which was to be expected for the quarters of a maid with a decent payroll. There, was a bed, a small bookshelf, a table with a lamp on it, and a separate door that likely held her closet. However, none of those items didn't catch Chouko's interest.

Out of all the things Junna purchased with the money her father paid, Chouko found the polished, wooden mass that was the maid's piano to be the most nice and expensive-looking, although she assumed this piano had been purchased years before Junna started working for the family, since even her salary wouldn't be enough to afford a piano of similar design. And it was obvious Junna treasured her piano like a second child, with its well-cared exterior lacking even a single speck of dust. Chouko knew that whatever the cost the piano held, it was high enough to ensure Junna's motherly protection over it.

Blinking, Chouko glanced at the keyboard, its individual keys also shining with the light creeping through the window. At that moment, she began to remember the smooth feeling of each individual key, a feeling that was almost reminiscent of her glossy hair. She failed to notice the slight twitching of her fingers, moving instinctively as if they were pressing down the keys. Instead, she continued to stare at the piano, seemingly hypnotized.

She remembered the last time she played that piano, which happened about two months ago. Since Junna was away at the time, Chouko had been hoping to play as quietly as she could, so she would not attract anyone else's attention, since there'd usually be at least one other person in the mansion. Unfortunately for her, she got carried away by the lovely melodies of all of the songs she played, and before she knew it, her playing was overheard by her mother, who went to the room to investigate, caught Chouko in the act, and brought her before her father, who sternly reprimanded her for doing something 'useless and trivial'.

"Chouko, I will not repeat myself a second time!"

Sadahiro's voice broke Chouko's train of thought, and she found that her fists had been clenched tightly and trembling.

Dismissing it as some sort of subconscious action and relaxing her fists, she called out, "I'm coming, Father. I apologize for the delay."

Taking one last look at the piano, Chouko then turned her back on it and left. One of her fingers twitched briefly.

* * *

**Nishimura Household**

"I'm gonna be gone for a week now," said Kimiko as she and her siblings were all seated around the kitchen table, "so take good care of yourselves, okay?" As she spoke, she intentionally avoided eye contact with Naomi, who was staring at her with pursed lips. "Is that understood?"

"Yeah, Onee-chan," Tamika replied, nodding. "I understand."

However, Kaisei let out a huff and crossed his arms, pouting. "Why do you have to go away for a week, Onee-chan? We won't be able to play!"

"It's for my club," Kimiko said, looking at her brother. "And don't worry about not being able to play with me. You've got Tamika to play with!"

In response to the latest sentence, Naomi's skin became slightly red, but no one noticed. As for Kaisei, he shrunk into his seat, still unsatisfied.

"But I love playing with you, Onee-chan..."

"Kaisei-chan, that hurts my feelings," Tamika replied, putting on a mocking expression of sadness. "That really does..."

"Sorry, Tamika!" Kaisei then looked back at Kimiko. "Just...Just don't take too long, Onee-chan!"

"It's only just a week, Kaisei-chan," the magenta-haired teenager replied. "It's not like it's the end of the world. All you have to do is be-"

"Patient, I know." Kaisei took a quick bite of his cereal. "Will you hook up with Naotatsu-san while you're gone?"

Kimiko nearly spat out her cereal as Tamika tried hard to stifle her giggle.

"W-Wh-_What_?!" Kimiko exclaimed. "Okay, first of all, where'd you hear that phrase, Kaisei-chan?"

"What phrase?"

"Hook up."

"At school." Kaisei clasped his hands together. "Pretty please, Onee-chan! I'd like Naotatsu-san to be my Onii-chan! He's funny and I like him!"

Kimiko sighed and closed her eyes momentarily. "Okay, I'll get together with Naotatsu-san-"

"YAY!"

"IF you don't use terms like 'hook up' and whatever else you heard at school ever again," the eldest sister completed sternly. "It's not really considerable table manners, using those kinds of crude phrases." She looked at Kaisei directly in the eye. "Do you understand, Kaisei-chan?"

"Yes, Onee-chan," replied Kaisei happily, eliciting redder skin on Naomi's face. "If that means you'll make Naotatsu-san my Onii-chan, then yes!"

"Good." Kimiko resumed eating her cereal, and then noticed Tamika still trying to hold back her laughing. "Oh, is something funny, Tamika-chan?"

"No, nothing at all..." Tamika replied, cracking a calm smile with all of her effort.

At that moment, the siblings' father entered the room. Youichirou Nishimura was a simple-looking man, with wavy brown hair and brown eyes, and his choice of Hawaiian-style clothing, consisting of a buttoned blue shirt with white-and-green flower patterns and light-brown cargo shorts, along with his bright smile that Kaisei obviously inherited, gave him the appearance of an upbeat, lax man. He approached Kimiko and ruffled her hair.

"Wow," he said proudly. "Staying with the Hashimoto family for a week. Who would've known? Oh, how Mom would've loved to hear this..."

"I think she would've been very impressed, Dad," replied Kimiko, smiling up at him. "So, when do we leave?"

Youichirou glanced at his wristwatch. "In another half-hour. Then I'm gonna go to work." He looked back at Kimiko. "Again, the Hashimotos... Wow..."

"I know, right?" Kimiko smiled, pretending to appear excited. "Awesome, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I trust that you'll handle yourself there?"

"Oh, trust me, I've seen worse-" Upon realizing her unintentional reference, Kimiko's voice cut off at the exact moment as her skin paled. A cold, uncomfortable feeling swept across the kitchen, enveloping it. The only one who didn't recognize the tense moment was Kaisei, who was still calmly eating his cereal.

"Good," piped Youichirou, his strained voice finally breaking the tension. "Well, tell me when you're ready!"

"Yeah, yeah, I shall..." Kimiko's voice trailed off as she felt her father quickly leave the kitchen. Even after her mother's death, the slightest reference to it would send chills down the spines of every member of the family, sans Kaisei, who to this day never understood what was going on during the whole tragedy.

She looked up at Naomi and noticed that she had been looking at her. Their eyes meeting for a second, Naomi then turned away with a silent huff.

Remembering their argument last night, and the point Naomi brought up, Kimiko began to wonder what would've happened had she actually tried to intervene. Would it have made a difference? She knew that there were multiple attackers involved, but...could she have been able to do it? She was trained in kendo and martial arts since childhood, and she knew the weak points of the human body. If she fought to defend her mother, would it work? Would she have succeeded?

But then...Kimiko remembered the fear that overwhelmed her, the horrendous reality of it all... It was so much, it paralyzed her... The best thing she could do in her terror was hide, hide and hear her mother being murdered viciously... Yes, there was nothing she could've done. Naomi had _no idea_ what she went through during that traumatic time. If she fought back, even amid her horror at the situation, all it'd guarantee would be another coffin, another grave to fill, more tears to be shed. Even with her self-defense skills, she wouldn't do much to the animals who tore the scars that nearly ripped apart her family, just more satisfaction.

_"For better or for worse,"_ she thought, _"things turned out better this way. And I'm gonna make the best out of this while I can... Yes, I will..."_

* * *

**Bedroom of Arata Takahashi  
Takahashi Household**

Takahashi hummed a happy tune to himself, a slight spring in his step as he walked across his room to look at his reflection in the mirror. Knowing that Sadahiro Hashimoto was one of the most successful and influential businessmen in Japan, he expected him to be a stern advocate of proper, businesslike manners, and there was no way he was going to get off on the wrong track with Hashimoto during their first meeting. Therefore, he chose to wear perhaps his best clothing, which consisted of a light-brown coat, a long-sleeved white polo shirt with a small blue tie, and black slacks.

"You look nice, Arata-kun," a voice piped. Takahashi turned around to see his mother standing at the doorway.

"Well, I gotta look nice, Mom," he replied. Then, he added in a snarl, "And stop calling me Arata-kun!"

Ignoring her son, the mother crossed her arms, her smile widening. "So, you are gonna stay at the Hashimoto Manor. With the Hashimotos. Wow. My son, living with the Hashimoto family and learning their way of life." Her smile then became strangely wry. "You know, I heard the daughter is pretty cute-"

"Oh, damn it, Mom! This is not gonna be some hookup! I am just gonna learn the lifestyle of one of the richest families in the country, and that's IT!"

"I even saw a picture of her once-" continued the mother teasingly.

**"MOM!"**

She laughed and waved her hands defensively. "Okay, okay, I'll stop! I know how much you love Hasumi-chan, anyway-"

"Just drop it and go away, Mom. I need to start packing up!"

"Okay, bye." And with that, the mother left, her mischievous smile still in place. Takahashi swore he heard her mutter something about him needing to get a girl in his life, a comment that elicited a frustrated sigh from him. Then, he started packing clothes and other supplies into his suitcase.

Several minutes passed, and Takahashi was finally ready to leave. Stepping out of his bedroom, the first thing the redheaded teenager noticed was the photos of him and his mother in earlier times. Both of them looked so happy and jubilant to be with each other. Takahashi could not help but chuckle at the times when he was actually comfortable being called 'Arata-chan', but such comfortable occurrences were now just a thing of the past.

Gazing at the pictures, Takahashi instantly noticed the lack of a paternal figure in any of them. For his entire life, he never knew who his father was, nor did he even wish to try and find out; from the moment he tried asking his mother about his identity or any other useful information, she instantly changed the subject, and that was that. She also never sought out another man to fill up that absent role, leaving Takahashi's entire life without a father figure. There was only one thing Takahashi knew about his father, and it was that he obviously wasn't worth his mother's time if she refused to talk about him.

Sighing dismissively, Takahashi dragged his suitcase down the stairs, finding his mother watching the news as he reached the bottom. Once again, it was more live news coverage of that cult... The _cult_... The teenager stopped in his tracks, a feeling of dread developing in his stomach as he overheard the report.

_ **"Another mass grave has been found, this time at a construction site near the suburbs of Nishitōkyō..."** _

Takahashi dropped his suitcase with a soft thud. _"The construction site..."_ he thought in apprehension.

"Arata-kun?" his mother asked, having noticed her son. "Are you all right?"

"Huh?" Takahashi held back his dread and flashed an innocent smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. All ready to go!"

"Okay..." The mother stared back at the old television set. "Can you believe this, Arata-kun? That cult is now getting close to where we live..." She glanced back at her son with a worried look on her face. "Please tell me you're gonna be safe with the Hashimotos, Arata-kun..."

"Yeah, I'm gonna be safe!" Takahashi laughed nervously. "It's a _mansion_, after all! It's gotta have high-level security systems and guards! And if that fails, there has to be a whole bunch of panic rooms too!" He still noticed the worried expression his mother wore, and concluded seriously, "Mom, I'm gonna be fine."

"Okay, honey..."

His mother continued to look at him, however, and Takahashi had the feeling that she was waiting for him to say something. However, he did not grant her this apparent wish, as she eventually sighed and stood up from the sofa, a bright smile replacing all traces of concern on her face.

"Alright, let's go?"

"Hell, yeah!" Takahashi exclaimed in response. He then glanced back at the blaring TV, which was still continuing the report of the latest mass grave.

_ **"Sadahiro Hashimoto, whose company is the tenant of the building being constructed at the site where the mass grave was found, had this to say..."** _

* * *

**The Nishitōkyō Construction Site  
Near the suburbs**

"I am deeply saddened to be informed of the tragic loss of five hard-working men who were working with their best efforts to build the latest company office of Hashimoto Communications," Sadahiro said into the many microphones that were before him, as a massive crowd of reporters and photographers watched. "It also _disgusts_ me to hear that this tragedy was no mere accident; it was the work of a group of madmen, animals beyond any comprehension. I can't even _begin _to understand such deplorable, monstrous, inexcusable behavior. I just..." The businessman paused to wipe a developing tear from his eye; a soft sniffling was recorded by the microphones. "There are no more words...no words to describe these horrors...none at all..."

The frequency of flashes from the photographers' cameras grew higher as Sadahiro regained his composure, his hands curling into determined fists.

"And so, in honor of the latest victims, Daichi Hosokaya, Wakou Chiba, Yamahiko Miyagi, Jouji Utagawa, and Chuuya Asahara, who worked so hard in the name of Hashimoto Communications, yet tragically failed to see the fruit they would have bore in their accomplishment, I hereby grant tremendous donations to their families as compensation for their losses, as well as the company's unconditional support towards all of the law-enforcement agencies involved in this ongoing investigation and manhunt. We at Hashimoto Communications pray for the five families, and hope for the quick dismantling of this pack of subhuman monsters."

Concluding his speech with a strained "Thank you", Sadahiro left the small podium as many of the onlookers applauded, the flashes of cameras continuing. The businessman quickly managed to get out of sight of the reporters as he strode towards the trailer where the contractor's office was. Standing at the doorstep, waiting for him, was Haruka; the door to the office was ajar, revealing a patient Chouko, who was watching a small television set inside the office.

"Impressive speech, Father," Chouko greeted as Sadahiro approached her. "I've never seen you cry before. Very heartfelt of you."

"Let's just pray to God those monsters are caught soon," snarled Sadahiro. "Of all the top stories my company must cover, it has to be _this_?" He sighed heavily. "I'd rather have the channels spend a year reporting on the migration patterns of seagulls over this." He glanced at Haruka. "What's next now?"

"You'll be meeting up with Inspector Kentaro of the Public Security Mobile Investigation Unit in a couple of minutes."

"Alright." Sadahiro glanced back at Chouko. "I trust that you will be fine here, Chouko?"

"Yes, Father."

Sadahiro nodded before leaving the abandoned office with Haruka, while Chouko resumed watching the television set. Little did anyone notice the pair of eyes hiding cleverly behind a thick shrub of bushes. Glancing at the open doorway to the office, the eyes widened upon spotting Chouko's silver hair.

"The almighty _Kū_," the figure whispered excitedly. "It _is_ her..."_  
_

However, the figure observed the many police officers thoroughly canvassing the area and judged that it was not wise to act now. And so, he or she retreated towards the nearby gap in the fence, slipped through it, and leaped into a nearby silver van whose doors were open. After a few seconds, the van drove away.

* * *

**Nishimura Household**

"Can't really believe you're actually doing this, Kimmie," Naotatsu said as he helped Kimiko pack her suitcases into the trunk of the family car.

"Well, I gotta," replied Kimiko determinedly. "If it'll have even the slightest chance of curbing these murders, then I'll take it. Sadahiro Communications definitely isn't taking that route, so I might as well give them a little push. And don't worry about Ginga, Naotatsu-kun. He'll understand."

"I hope so." Naotatsu looked at a different direction and smiled. "Hey, little man!"

"ONII-CHAN!" Kaisei cried happily as he ran over to Naotatsu and hugged his leg tightly. A scarlet blush appeared on Kimiko's cheeks as her friend laughed.

"Kaisei-chan, I'm not your Onii-chan," replied Naotatsu. Then, he nudged Kimiko's elbow playfully. "Not yet, at least."

Kimiko's eyes widened in horror, just as Kaisei gasped and asked excitedly, "Does that mean you two are getting together?!"

**"NO!"** both screamed simultaneously.

"Awwwww..." The youthful energy in Kaisei's eyes was gone in an instant, and his shoulders began to sag. "Why not?"

"It's-It's something we haven't thought of yet!" Naotatsu said, blushing furiously.

"Then why'd you say you're not my Onii-chan _yet_, Naotatsu-san?" Kaisei narrowed his eyes. "Were you _lying_? Lying's bad, you know!"

"I wasn't lying! I was just joking!"

Kaisei huffed and crossed his arms. "Well, that wasn't a good joke. I was hoping you'd be my Onii-chan. That way we can play with each other."

"I _do_ play with you, Kaisei-chan. What're you talking about?"

"I want you to play with me all the time, Naotatsu-san!"

Naotatsu sweat-dropped, while Kimiko sighed in embarrassment. "K-Ka-Kaisei... I don't think I have the energy to do that-"

"Alright, Kaisei-chan!" exclaimed Kimiko as she began gently pushing a visibly upset Kaisei away from Naotatsu. "As you can see, Naotatsu-kun and I are very, very busy right now, so I'm gonna need for you to wait for your turn to talk to us. Is that okay with you, Kaisei-chan?"

"Fine," Kaisei grumbled. Then, he glared at his older sister with a serious gleam in his eyes. "But I want Naotatsu-san to be my Onii-chan, okay? No one else!"

"Okay, okay, Naotatsu-san will be your Onii-chan soon!" Kimiko found herself immediately regretting that statement, but it was too late.

"YAY!" exclaimed Kaisei happily as he skipped back into the house.

Sighing heavily, Kimiko walked back towards Naotatsu, who was giving her a flat look. The girl crossed her arms.

"Hey, Kaisei-chan just can't shut up sometimes," she snapped.

Naotatsu chuckled. "It's cute, though. In its own way."

"Yeah..." Kimiko placed the last suitcase into the trunk, and Naotatsu closed the door for her. She was about to go back inside the house when a hand abruptly latched itself onto her shoulder; looking back she saw that it was none other than Naotatsu. "Yeah, Naotatsu-kun?"

"K-Kimmie," stuttered the teenager, obviously trying desperately to string his best sentence together. "I-I just, uh, just wanted to t-tell you I...I...I-I-"

"Well?" Kimiko interrupted, her eyebrow raised. "Spit it out already." She then noticed Naotatsu's furious blush. "Hey, you okay, Naotatsu-kun?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He looked away for a moment, allowing himself to recover, then quickly added, almost in a whisper, "Good luck over there, Kimmie."

Kimiko blinked, not expecting that kind of response from her friend. Then, she smiled brightly at her friend.

"Hey, don't worry, Naotatsu-kun," she replied. "I'll be fine. It's not like I am infiltrating that cult or anything." Naotatsu smiled slightly at her, which caused her to remember something she wanted to tell him. "Hey, Naotatsu-kun, can I ask you a favor? It's really important."

"Anything for you, Kimmie," Naotatsu said in a tone that was so serious that even he didn't expect it.

"_Okay_..." Kimiko recovered from her brief shock at his confidence. "Naotatsu, can you please take care of my siblings while I'm gone? Especially Naomi-chan?"

Naotatsu's eyes widened in complete surprise. "You...You want me to _take care_ of your _siblings_?"

"Yes. I mean, if you can't do it, then that's okay-"

"No, I'll do it! I'll definitely do it!" He then raised an eyebrow. "I was just wondering...why _me_? You could've asked anyone else at the club-"

"That's because I would entrust you with them over the others, doofus!" Kimiko punched him in the shoulder lightly in a playful manner. "Look, Tamika-chan and Kaisei-chan both really like you, and I have honestly never seen anyone so freaking patient with Naomi-chan's attitude before, not even my dad. I know you're do just fine being the temporary eldest sibling while I'm gone." She looked at her house, so tranquil, yet screaming target for the cult. "Will you protect them?"

"Of course I will protect them, Kimmie!" Naotatsu placed a fist over his heart to emphasize his determination. "I promise you that! Even when things look bleak, even if I get killed in the process, then the bad guys will have to pass through my dead body first before they harm your family!"

The magenta-haired teenager looked back at her friend and smiled, satisfied to hear his confident response.

"Good." Her smile widened as she hugged Naotatsu tightly. "Thank you, Naotatsu-kun, for this."

"Hey, anything for a friend." Naotatsu seemed to cringe upon saying the last word, but returned the hug.

From inside the house, Naomi watched the entire scene, an incomprehensible expression on her face.

* * *

**Takahashi Household**

_"About time I got to leave this goddamn house..."_

That was the first thought that came to Takahashi's mind as he stepped off the doorstep and closed the door behind him. Without taking a last look at the very place he had to call home, the teenager approached the family car as his mother already got into the driver's seat, an optimistic expression on her face. Putting his suitcase into the trunk, albeit with some difficulty due to its compacted size, Takahashi then quickly got into the passenger's seat, beside his mother.

"Well, let's go?" she asked.

"Yep," replied Takahashi without a single hint of regret in his voice.

As his mother backed the car out of the driveway and drove down the street, Takahashi never took a single look at his house.

_"Goodbye, old life, hello week-long but goddamn awesome high life!"_

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters  
** **Tokyo, Japan  
A couple of hours later**

"_Bye_, Mom!" Takahashi groaned in frustration after his mother gave him her umpteenth question about him possibly forgetting anything. To his relief, she finally nodded, reluctantly so, closed the passenger door, and started the car engine, allowing him to start walking across the parking lot, giving occasional glances at the map he was provided a couple of days ago. As he walked further into the parking lot, he could distinguish the fading engine of the family car...

A strange twinge in his heart...

For some strange reason, Takahashi wanted to stop for a moment and take one last look at the family car as it exited the parking lot, but he managed to think the better of it. This was possibly his only chance at living the high life, so there was no reason to suddenly start worrying. And besides, it'd only be a week till he would return to his original lifestyle of lying under an average roof, eating average food, sleeping in an average bed...

Takahashi shuddered in disgust before returning to his original pace.

It didn't take long for him to find the Hashimoto Communications Headquarters complex building. Smiling in anticipation, he gazed upward at the tall skyscraper, soaking in its marvelous architectural features. Man, even the building itself was majestic and mighty, worthy of belonging to Sadahiro Hashimoto! The obvious American influences in its design, the torch-like spire, the elegant smoothness of the windows, and even the refreshing, gargantuan fountain that was spouting out clear water as fish swam in it! Takahashi might as well have decided to jump in and run around in it like a complete idiot, but he thought the better of it.

"Hey there, _lover-boy_," a familiar voice greeted.

"Damn it," muttered Takahashi. Then, he felt Kimiko's presence behind him and spoke up. "Please don't call me that."

"Oh, don't worry." Takahashi could imagine the sly smirk on the girl's face. "I won't call you that in front of your beloved Hasumi. Nor spill your lil' secret..."

"You'd better not." The two stared at the fountain for a minute before he continued, "It's a nice fountain, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"Can you believe that a fountain of such amazing design was actually designed by Sadahiro Hashimoto?"

"_He_ made this fountain?" asked Kimiko, astounded.

"What? Hell, no. He only suggested the design; some poor construction worker or a couple did all the work. And what a clever design it is! The two spirals that snake around the central structure, with the water flowing down them, they're like water-slides! And the fish that swim in the pool below, those look like pretty fine fishes there! The water's so clean and so fresh, man, I'd bet the fish would _hate_ the ocean and prefer swimming in this over a heartbeat."

"So Hashimoto practically did nothing to directly contribute," Kimiko remarked bitterly, "some poor guy does all the hard work, and the fishes, who were all likely taken from the ocean, were stuffed in this pool for show and may not be enjoying the water as we speak. Yep, that's some great guy, Hashimoto."

Takahashi frowned at Kimiko's comment. Then, he heard tires screeching loudly, the second-long popping sound of backfiring, and an engine roaring fiercely, to which his frown became even more pronounced. Both teenagers turned around to see a red sports car roaring down the street, skidding to a sudden halt. The roof was retracted, so they could see the occupants clearly: a wild-haired Hasumi and, to Takahashi's great displeasure...

_"__Noriya Noguchi..."_ he thought with all of the loathing of the world.

"Hey, redhead!" Noriya greeted from the driver's seat, his voice a half-growl, as usual. "Fancy seeing ya here! Did you have to give your house away in order to pay for all of this?" He then spotted Kimiko and smirked, placing an arm on the steering wheel coolly. "Ah, and I see you finally hooked up with someone! A cute one, nonetheless!" He laughed out jeeringly; Takahashi and Kimiko both blushed in embarrassment. "Great job, redhead, great job! OW!"

He reeled over, clutching the back of his head, having been slapped by Hasumi.

"Shut it, Noriya-kun, they only just met," she snapped, although she was smiling. "Now help me with the luggage."

"No prob, babe." The last word made Takahashi let out a savage growl. He always hated Noriya Noguchi, the school troublemaker and gangster wannabe, with a burning passion. It'd make even more sense considering that Noriya was Hasumi's boyfriend, and that their relationship was as solid as a diamond.

Hasumi and Noriya stepped out of the car, opened up the trunk, and took out the former's suitcases, as well as a guitar case, setting them on the sidewalk. As Takahashi and Kimiko came up to them, the former growled even more loudly as soon as he saw the teenage couple kiss right on the lips. He felt Kimiko's stare focus on him, but he didn't care one bit. Oh, how he yearned to punch Noriya in the face, or better yet, give a scratch to his beloved car...

"You have fun, babe," Noriya said upon breaking the kiss. "If they allow you to invite guests, be sure to invite me. There is NO WAY I'm gonna miss out on this!"

"Sure thing, hon," replied Hasumi, smiling.

"Oh, joy..." Takahashi snarled sarcastically; Noriya flicked his head towards him, his spiky, long purple hair flying as a scowl appeared on his face.

"What was that, _redhead_?" he hissed.

"Nothing," corrected Takahashi quickly. As much as he hated Noriya, he knew better to pick a fight with a martial-arts member who also wrestled for the school.

"That's what I thought." Noriya then noticed Kimiko and leaned in to examine her more closely, causing her blush to deepen even more. He bared his teeth in a wider smirk and stared back at Takahashi. "You're a _really_ lucky guy, man, hanging side-by-side with a hottie like that. And to think I doubted you... HA!"

He punched Takahashi in the shoulder playfully, but he put too much strength in his punch, and the redheaded boy clutched his shoulder, wincing in pain. With a soft growl of annoyance, he looked up at Noriya, who had begun laughing...only to suddenly see a strange image of him wielding...a _halberd_?...

Takahashi blinked, and the image was gone. Noriya wasn't armed with anything. At that moment, Hasumi lightly shoved her boyfriend.

"Noriya, you should go now," she said. "We're almost late."

"Oh, yeah right. See ya, babe."

He kissed Hasumi again (eliciting another disapproving growl from Takahashi) and left for his car. As soon as he approached the door to the driver's seat, police sirens began to wail, and were growing closer. Takahashi finally noticed that Noriya had parked beside the red line of the sidewalk.

"Aw crap, REALLY?!" Noriya roared in disbelief. He turned to Hasumi as he whipped his door open. "INVITE ME IF YOU GET A CHANCE!"

Takahashi and Kimiko tried hard to suppress giggles as Noriya hopped into the driver's seat and immediately sped away without closing his door immediately. A few seconds later, a police cruiser streaked past them, its sirens wailing. As the wailing of the sirens faded, Hasumi sighed and shook her head.

"Oh, that Noriya," she said. "That's gonna make the fifth time this week he was arrested..."

"And you're apparently fine by that?" asked Kimiko, much to Takahashi's surprise, as he expected himself to make that question first.

"I know Noriya's an asshole, but he's also kind and caring." She sighed dreamily. "He sure knows how to blow you away during your dates..."

Takahashi scoffed. "Noriya Noguchi, _kind_? _Caring_? Sounds like something I'd see during the apocalypse."

"Laugh it up, _Takahashi_-" Takahashi grimaced at Hasumi's usage of his surname. "-but when Noriya saves your ass during a situation one day, your view of him will change in a split-second or less." She smiled as she stared down the street Noriya sped down. "I know I did..."

He scoffed again. "Yeah, I am sure I will." The redhead then grabbed his suitcase. "Well, I don't wanna talk about him anymore. Come on, we've got a meeting to get to, and there's no way in HELL I'm missing it!" He walked forward, looking back at Hasumi and Kimiko as they followed his head. "Come on, slowpokes!"

"Who are YOU, calling us slowpokes?" demanded Hasumi, grinning.

As he marched towards the building entrance, Takahashi began to wonder what that strange image of the halberd-wielding Noriya was. It was just exactly like the time he felt he knew Kimiko from somewhere when he first laid eyes on her. Only this time, the newest person of focus wasn't a complete stranger.

It was someone he knew already.

But there was absolutely no way he could successfully recall an incident involving Noriya and a halberd..._right_?...

Approaching a set of sliding doors, Takahashi watched as they slid open at his very presence, and he stepped inside. Immediately, he slowly began inhaling the fresh, cool air of the office, then exhaled with a relieved sigh. He then heard Hasumi's scoff as she and Kimiko stepped beside him.

"Enjoying the smell of the office?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Hey, what can I say?" Takahashi looked at his crush, grinning. "This is the building where Sadahiro Hashimoto works! Everything from the architectural design, to the fountain, to the _smell_ of the interior has to be awesome!" Then, he spotted a woman dressed in a suit. "Hey, is that her? Takane Tono, the secretary?"

"Yep, that's her," Kimiko replied, being the first to walk towards the secretary, followed by Takahashi and Hasumi.

"Hasumi Itagaki, Arata Takahashi, and Kimiko Nishimura?" Tono asked.

"That's us," replied Hasumi.

The secretary glanced at the clipboard she was holding. "Who's Hasumi Itagaki?"

"Me."

Tono nodded at Hasumi, looked at the clipboard, then at Takahashi. "And I'm assuming you're Arata Takahashi?"

"Yep, that's me," he replied, smiling.

Another look at the clipboard, then at Kimiko. "And that means you should be Kimiko Nishimura."

"Yes," Kimiko replied modestly.

"Good. Sorry, you three. Security measures are very important here at the headquarters complex of Hashimoto Communications. Especially after the incident at our newest construction site, everyone's on high alert." She raised an eyebrow. "I assume you three have heard about this incident in the news, right?"

"Yeah," Hasumi said. "And that site's close to where I live."

"Same here," added Takahashi.

"Me too..." Kimiko added absentmindedly, looking down at the floor.

Tono's eyes softened. "Oh, I'm sorry." Then, she flashed an optimistic smile. "But let's not think pessimistically right now. I'm sure today's gonna be the start of an extremely exciting and unique week for you! We cannot start it off with sad thoughts. Now, follow me, if you all please..."

Tono led the way towards a bay of elevators, followed by Takahashi, Hasumi, and Kimiko, the latter of whom was still absorbed in thought.

_"Another incident?"_ she thought. _"Close to home, too? Oh, dear God, I hope nothing happens to my siblings... Naomi, Tamika, Kaisei..."_ She looked up at the ceiling.

* * *

**Nishimura Household  
A couple of hours earlier**

"Goodbye, Onee-chan!" Tamika exclaimed as she hugged her oldest sister tightly.

"Goodbye, Tamika-chan," replied Kimiko as she returned the hug. "I wish you luck in your kendo tournament! Wish I could be there to see it..."

"It's okay, Onee-chan. At least you'll be staying with the Hashimotos! Wish _I_ could go with you..."

"I wish I could go too!" Kaisei exclaimed as he hugged Kimiko's leg. "Can I please go with you, Onee-chan? Pretty please?!"

"I am really sorry, Kaisei-chan," Kimiko said, "but they only want three people to stay there, and two other coworkers of mine have already taken those empty spots. There's really nothing I can do about that." She looked down at Kaisei as he stared back up at her with his innocent dark-blue eyes. "But I promise you-" Kimiko looked at all of her siblings, prompting Naomi to look away. "-I promise all of you, I'll call you guys every night. And besides, Naotatsu-san will watch you guys while I'm gone, so be sure to be on your best behavior for his sake, all right? He's agreed to put aside this week to watch you guys."

"We'll be on our best behavior, Onee-chan," Tamika replied, smiling determinedly. "Don't worry about it!"

"Good, and..." Kimiko's eyes softened as she looked at all of her siblings. "...Stay safe, all of you."

"We will, Onee-chan," Tamika and Kaisei both said simultaneously.

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters  
Present day**

_"At least I told them to stay safe..."_ Kimiko thought as soon as one of the elevator doors opened.

* * *

**Office of Sadahiro Hashimoto  
Hashimoto Communications Headquarters**

After many minutes, maybe almost an hour of waiting, Takahashi sighed in relief as the elevator doors slid open to reveal the very office of Sadahiro Hashimoto himself. He could feel the bursting, jubilant excitement swelling up inside the pit of his stomach. Even though he could only see a simple desk sitting in front of a wall that bore the Hashimoto Communications logo, he knew it most likely belonged to Tono and that he had not seen anything yet.

"Come along, kids," Tono said as she stepped out of the elevator. The teenagers followed her towards the desk, just as a man appeared from another hallway.

Only...it wasn't Sadahiro Hashimoto. It was...

"_You_?!" exclaimed Takahashi.

"Well, isn't that a goddamn dandy way of greeting your superiors in goddamn public," snarled Itagaki. Then, he spotted Hasumi and smiled. "Hasumi-chan!"

"Hey, Dad," Hasumi replied. "Didn't expect you to be here."

"I was called in here for a separate meeting with Hashimoto-san." He smiled widely, his chest swelling with pride. "And it was quite an honor to meet him! Even being in his _presence_ was glorious enough to warrant a recommendation! Oh, I am SO gonna remember this on my goddamn deathbed."

"It was indeed a pleasure, Itagaki-san," a second voice asked, more deeper and masculine than Itagaki's.

A large man wearing a suit stepped into the same hallway as everyone else. He had smooth, combed black hair and dark-brown eyes, while his body was very muscular and well-developed, something obvious even in spite of the formal suit he was wearing. In addition to the suit, he was wearing a pair of rectangular, frame-less glasses that gave him an air of superior intellect. Takahashi could barely contain his excitement at the very presence at this man.

"I do indeed look forward to interacting with your younger employees for this passing week," Sadahiro Hashimoto said courteously to Itagaki.

"Thank you, Hashimoto-san," Itagaki replied. "The pleasure is mine." He then took a quick look at his watch. "Oh, excuse me. I gotta get to work now."

Sadahiro nodded, allowing Itagaki to make his leave. He nodded approvingly at Hasumi before stopping beside Takahashi, not bothering to make eye contact.

"I swear to God," he snarled so only Takahashi could hear him, "if you goddamn mess this up, Takahashi, I will _personally_ make your goddamn life a living HELL. This is a very precious moment in my goddamn life, to earn the trust of today's most successful Japanese businessman. Understood?"

"Understood..." replied the redheaded teenager nervously.

"You'd goddamn better...otherwise, you'll realize the full force of the repercussions I'll goddamn deal with you..."

And with that, Itagaki approached the elevator, pressed the 'Down' button, and waited for it to arrive. Meanwhile, Sadahiro approached the teenagers.

"I will take things from here, Toru-san," he said. Takahashi could've sworn he saw the secretary's eyelid twitch at the erroneous pronunciation of her name, but she apparently thought the better of it and nodded loyally at her employer, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Yes, Hashimoto-sensei..." Tono replied as she stepped towards the front desk, while the teenagers followed Sadahiro into the main office.

As soon as they stepped into the main office, all three teenagers gasped in awe and surprise at the elegance of the room. The ceiling and the entire opposite wall was pure glass, which gave them a perfect view of downtown Tokyo in all of its glory. Fortunately, even though the headquarters complex was part of the Tokyo skyline, the positioning of the windows allowed for the view to be unobstructed by neighboring skyscrapers. As a result, they were allowed a clearer and rather majestic view of distant buildings and, most notably, the Tokyo Imperial Palace and its East Gardens.

"Wow..." Takahashi whispered.

"Look at this view!" exclaimed Hasumi. "It's so beautiful!"

"I'm glad you like it, kids," Sadahiro replied. "I paid good money to have my office like this. That way, every time I work here, I feel like I'm at the top of Japan."

"That's so _awesome_!" shouted Takahashi as he ran up to the window and staring out of it. Then, he looked at Kimiko, who was examining the rest of the office without so much as a hint of interest. "Hey, Kimiko? Come take a look out here! Don't you see this wonderful view?!"

Kimiko looked out of the window, raised an eyebrow, and then shrugged. "It's okay, I guess..."

As if in response, Sadahiro smiled, stretched out his arms, and declared dramatically, "Welcome to the future, children!"

At that moment, black panels began appearing on the windows, blocking them and therefore obstructing their view of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. It did not take long until the entire office was shrouded in darkness. A couple of seconds later, a light from an unseen projector activated itself automatically, shining onto the window panels, which seemed to also function as some sort of a screen. The first thing Takahashi, Hasumi, and Kimiko saw on this 'screen' was the Hashimoto Communications, but after another few seconds, it disappeared, being replaced with a spinning vortex of color that switched from one shade to the next every second: from shades of red to orange to yellow to green to blue to violet to purple to pink to red and then so on, so forth.

_**"Hashimoto**** Communication Enterprises,"**_ a deep, male voice boomed, coming from the video, _**"or otherwise known as Hashimoto Communications. We are the biggest shareholder and investor in the business of media and entertainment. We invest all of our well-earned money on the best of the best of companies, as well as supervise all their operations. And Hashimoto Communications helms some of the greatest company names in Japan."**_

At that moment, numerous logos and symbols appeared on the screen, many of which Takahashi could recognize. They were mostly related to the mainstream media, such as the news, handheld device manufacturers, anime and manga distribution companies, etc._**  
**_

_**"Without Hashimoto Communications, the quality of your entertainment and the mainstream media would be terribly subpar, and our society would have greatly suffered as a whole because of all this. Time and time again, since its founding at the turn of the twentieth century-" **_The screen showed a montage of old logos Hashimoto Communications held in its history._** "-Hashimoto Communications has gained itself great success and recognition in the national and international fronts of the business world, and serves as a source of influence for future businesses and up-and-coming entrepreneurs.**_

_**"Up-and-coming entrepreneurs..."**_ the voice continued, _**"such as yourselves."**_

The screen displayed school photos of Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi, surprising the teenagers.

_ **"You children are the ** _ **future _of this country...the _future _of this world. You all possess unthinkable and outlandish, yet bright and creative ideas, proud products from the influences of the very society you live in, the congregation of ideas offered from previous entrepreneurs. You were all _made _to be the ones to continue this endless cycle of improvement for the sake of the human race, the next generation. You were all _made _to leave behind your ideas for next generations to use and eventually improve on. To leave behind an unmatched_ legacy_._**

**_"_That_..._That_ is the truth of the human race. We all leave behind our legacies, no matter how trivial they may seem, so the following generations will use such legacies as influences to build their own. Every creature on this planet must leave behind a footprint of some sort."_**

A photo of a human footprint in a bank of sand then proudly displayed itself on the screen.

**_"You will too. And we over at Hashimoto Communications, who have learned such an undeniable truth, have made an honorable pledge to ourselves to help_ you _in making these footprints for the next generation to see and marvel upon. You are all the _future_..."_**

The panels unfolded themselves, allowing light to return into the office and assault Takahashi's eyes with its brightness. As he flinched, he saw, at the corners of his eyes, Hasumi and Kimiko doing the same action. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked up and saw Sadahiro standing there, still smiling proudly.

"You are _all_ the future, children," he said. "Don't deny that. And believe me, I shall aid you in understanding the process of making a difference in the world, as will everyone else at Hashimoto Communications. Believe me, such a process has become increasingly underrated more recently." He shook his head, indicating his obvious disapproval. "Which is exactly why I started what I hope will be the first program of exposure to the world of business in the world. To ensure that no one (and believe me when I say _no one_) forgets it." He crossed his arms. "It's a rather complicated process, so I hope you three are up for it. ...Are you?"

"Damn right I am!" Takahashi shouted enthusiastically. "Why else did I sign up for this?!"

"Does it look like I have another choice?" added Hasumi coolly.

"I guess..." Kimiko said, almost inaudibly, but Sadahiro ignored the last reply almost immediately, for he started laughing a hearty laugh.

"That's what I hoped to hear!" the businessman exclaimed. "Itagaki-san definitely wasn't lying about your enthusiasm and hunger for knowledge." He grinned even more widely now. "Alright, I believe that'll be it for this meeting. How about I take you three to my home?"

"Wait, what?!" Takahashi exclaimed, feeling his heart skip a couple of beats. "That's really it?! We get to go to your home?!"

"Well, considering it's already the weekend, I think I'd be too rough on you children if I started the lectures immediately. No, I think you deserve to have a good start to this week with a nice period of rest and relaxation at my home. You are free to do as you wish there. Within legal restraints, of course."

_ **"OH HELL, YEAH! ALRIGHT!"** _

Takahashi's loud yell of joy was heard throughout the whole floor; a man's yell of surprise could be heard. Hasumi's eyelid twitched in a bemused manner, and Kimiko and Sadahiro watched in confusion as the redheaded boy pranced around the office, reveling in his own excitement.

"I get to stay at the Hashimoto Manor!" he was exclaiming. "Oh yeah, oh yeah, uh-huh, uh-huh, that's RIGHT, folks, Arata Takahashi is living the HIGH LIFE!"

"I can see someone's excited..." Sadahiro said, sweat-dropping in amusement.

"Yeah," replied Hasumi, chuckling. "You should've seen him when he was told he'd be taking part in this..."

"What is with all of this commotion?"

Everyone looked towards the entrance to the main office, even Takahashi, who had stopped his jubilant banter. Standing there was a short girl who appeared to be around the same age as the other three teenagers, with sleek hair colored in a dazzling silver, shockingly golden eyes, and an emotionless expression on her face. She was wearing a school uniform, even though it was a Saturday, and had a book clutched to her chest; Takahashi caught a glimpse of the title 'THE PRINCIPLES OF CONSUMERISM AND HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT', almost obscured by one of her arms. He then heard Sadahiro chuckle.

"Oh, forgive me, Chouko," he said, "I should've properly informed you about their presence before you left. These are the three participants in my program." He looked at Takahashi, Hasumi, and Kimiko, gesturing towards the silver-haired girl. "Children, this here is my daughter."

"Greetings, my name is Chouko Hashimoto, heir to the Hashimoto business" said Chouko, bowing down with all the elegance in the world. Takahashi took quick notice to the emotionless, almost robotic tone that was present in her voice; it sounded as if she had been reading a script and recited the lines so many times that she could just recite it by memory without a single hitch. "It is a pleasure to meet all of you. I hope to spend the following week with you in positive spirits, and I do sincerely hope that all three of you bear with me as I observe and participate in your doings."

"Hey there, Chouko," Hasumi replied, smiling. "I'm Hasumi Itagaki."

"And I'm Arata Takahashi, nice to meet you, yeah," Takahashi added in a quick, dismissive tone.

Suddenly, he felt his blood run cold as Chouko stared at his eyes with her empty, golden ones. For some reason...looking into those golden orbs was strangely hypnotic...and Takahashi could tell that this was meant to be in a bad way. Then, Chouko spoke, her emotionless voice now expressing a slight cold attitude.

"I take it by that tone you're displeased at my presence?" she asked.

"N-N-N-No..." stuttered Takahashi nervously. It was nerve-wracking to stare into what might be the eyes of death...

Finally, the tension was broken the moment Sadahiro chuckled again, breaking Chouko's stare from Takahashi.

"I guess this counts as my first lesson," the businessman said. "_Always_ act properly in front of my daughter. She doesn't take kindly to _uncivilized behavior_."_  
_

Takahashi gulped and laughed nervously, sensing that a lot of his usual behavior would be considered very..._uncivilized_...

"Yes," Chouko said, making his blood run cold again. "Uncivilized behavior is unacceptable in my eyes."

"D-Do-Don't w-worry, Chouko-san..." he replied. "I-I won't act all unc-c-ci-civilized..."

The silver-haired girl narrowed her golden eyes at him, making him break out in an extremely hot sweat. It didn't help to know that he had decided to wear his best clothing, which made it all the hotter. Finally, after what appeared to be a couple minutes of this, she turned her head away from him, earning a heavy sigh of relief, and instead looked at Kimiko, who was still curiously examining Sadahiro's office, as if she hadn't soaked in enough detail of it yet.

"And who may you be?" Chouko asked.

"Huh?" Kimiko turned to Chouko. "W-What?"

"You have not properly introduced yourself to me. What is your name? I wish to establish a familiarity with the ones I will share my house with for the week."

"Oh, my name is Kimiko Nishimura." Kimiko flashed an innocent smile. "Nice to meet you."

Chouko surveyed both Kimiko and Hasumi, no doubt using her cold golden eyes; Takahashi couldn't understand why they weren't intimidated like he was.

_"It must be some girl thing..."_ he thought bitterly.

Then, Chouko said, "It really is a pleasure to meet all of you."

However, Takahashi felt as if Chouko was only referring to Kimiko and Hasumi...and not to him...

_"Why do I feel like this is gonna be a very,_ very_ long week?..."_

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor**

"WHOA, HOLY HELL! I DON'T CARE IF IT'S GONNA BE A VERY, VERY LONG WEEK; I AM **SO** GONNA ENJOY THIS! **YAHOO!**"

Chouko, Hasumi, Kimiko, Sadahiro, and the chauffeur watched in bewilderment as Takahashi pranced around the enormous front yard of the Hashimoto Manor, which boasted walkways of cobblestone, small shrubs of sunflowers growing beside these walkways, fresh grass, and a fountain, designed similarly to the one at the Hashimoto Communications Headquarters complex, located straight in the center of said front yard.

Ahead of the front yard was the mansion itself, which proudly boasted its Japanese design.

Upon reaching the fountain, Takahashi looked into the water and spotted his reflection. Then, he let out the loudest yell of excitement in his life, causing a flock of birds perched on said fountain to fly off into the air, startled by the outburst. Takahashi didn't care when one of the birds' droppings landed on his shoulder.

"Shall I, uh, bring in the limo, sir?" the chauffeur asked, still eyeing Takahashi in surprise as the teenager began spinning around in his joy.

"Yeah, sure..." replied Sadahiro. Then, he sweat-dropped as Takahashi began picking sunflowers, enraging the nearby gardener.

"What a dim-witted fellow," Chouko remarked, staring at Takahashi in cold disapproval as he ran around the front yard, chased by the gardener as he shouted after him. "I must spend one week with him? I'd rather read all the books in the Hashimoto library a hundred times over..."

"That's Takahashi for you," replied Hasumi, having heard Chouko's comment. "He's always dreamed of living in wealth, so naturally, he's this excited."

Chouko scoffed dismissively as she made her way down the cobblestone walkway.

"Just wait till the week progresses," she warned. "He'll be overwhelmed in no time."

**"YEAH, THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE! THANK YOU, GOD, FOR THIS MIRACLE!"**

* * *

**Bedroom of Chouko Hashimoto  
Hashimoto Manor**

Ignoring the excited yells of the uncivilized redheaded boy outside, Chouko stepped inside her bedroom. There, she stopped in her tracks upon spotting Fuuta, who was standing near the window, looking out of it and no doubt gazing upon that same boy making the large commotion.

"Fuuta?"

"ARGH!" Fuuta twirled around and held out a broom, as if he were trying to use it as a weapon. "STAY BACK!"

"Relax, Fuuta," Chouko said calmly. "It is just me-"

"Oh, Chouko. Uh..." Fuuta pointed out of the window. "What's going on out there? And who are _these_ people?"

"They're people our age, and they're gonna be staying with us for a week."

The green-haired teenager's eyes widened in shock. "A _week_? _That_ damn lunatic-" He pointed out of the window again, and Chouko didn't need to guess who exactly he was referring to. "-is gonna be staying with us for a _week_? What in the world is this supposed to be?!"

"A program my father started, so please, do not do anything to disrespect it, or my father's name. It would be very much appreciated."

"As you wish, Chou-kee."

"May I kindly ask you to stop referring to me by that name? And...may I also ask why you're in my room?"

Fuuta sighed heavily. "Why do you think I have a broom, Chouko? It was my turn to clean your room, according to the schedule."

"Oh." Chouko began to walk out of the room. "Well then, do continue."

The teenage boy rolled his eyes as he resumed sweeping the floor.

"As you wish..."

* * *

**Unknown location**

** _"I am deeply saddened to be informed of the tragic loss of five hard-working men who were working with their best efforts to build the latest company office of Hashimoto Communications."_ **

The man tapped his index finger on the armrest of his chair, making a ticking sound from his mouth as he silently watched Sadahiro Hashimoto making a solemn announcement at the scene of the mass grave at the construction site. Sitting in the middle of a room that was shrouded in complete darkness, his only source of light was an old television set. The golden hood was drawn over the man's head, obscuring any facial features.

** _"It also disgusts me to hear that this tragedy was no mere accident; it was the work of a group of madmen, animals beyond any comprehension."_ **

The man immediately stopped tapping his finger. His face moved upward for a fraction of an inch.

** _"I can't even begin to understand such deplorable, monstrous, inexcusable behavior. I just... There are no more words...no words to describe these horrors...none at all..."_ **

The man stopped making the ticking noise, and instead, he pursed his lips together. His eyes, devoid of any life, narrowed slowly.

** _"And so, in honor of the latest victims, Daichi Hosokaya, Wakou Chiba, Yamahiko Miyagi, Jouji Utagawa, and Chuuya Asahara, who worked so hard in the name of Hashimoto Communications, yet tragically failed to see the fruit they would have bore in their accomplishment, I hereby grant tremendous donations to their families as compensation for their losses, as well as the company's unconditional support towards all of the law-enforcement agencies involved in this ongoing investigation and manhunt."_ **

As Sadahiro spoke his latest sentence, the man raised his left hand slowly. In an absentminded manner, he stroked the furry head of a motionless rabbit, which was being hung like a necklace. However, the man didn't seem to be daunted by this, instead continuing to stroke the corpse as if it were a pet.

** _"We at Hashimoto Communications pray for the five families, and hope for the quick dismantling of this pack of subhuman monsters."_ **

A wide, satisfied grin appeared on the man's face, baring teeth, as Sadahiro stared directly at the television set, as if looking at the man watching.

** _"Thank you."_ **

The man chuckled, still grinning, and said, "_Excellent_... The plan is proceeding smoothly as expected..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has got to be the longest chapter YET! Hopefully it wasn't a bore to try and get through.
> 
> Anyway, it is the reunion everyone's been waiting for, and guess it looks like there might already be a couple of tensions going on! And it also looks like there's still yet to happen, since this is obviously gonna be a two-parter! Whatever will happen next under the Hashimoto roof?
> 
> And it'll take a genius to figure out who Noriya Noguchi is. :P
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	6. Day One, Part 2 of 2

**CHAPTER 5: DAY ONE, PART 2 OF 2**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

* * *

**April 25, 2026**

* * *

**Reserved Bedroom of Arata Takahashi  
Hashimoto Manor**

"AH, YES!" Takahashi bellowed as he burst into the bedroom reserved for him and collapsed on the king-sized, luxurious bed. "AH, **YES**! NOW **THAT'S** WHAT I'M TALKING 'BOUT!" He began sliding his limbs across the smooth surface of the mattress, as if making a snow angel. "Yes, yes, _yes_... I'm so _happy_..."

Suddenly, he heard someone clear his throat, disturbing his happiness. Sitting up, flustered and surprised, Takahashi spotted a boy around his age standing at the doorway, a broom and dustpan in his hands. The boy seemed to resemble some sort of train conductor, with his black gakuran, black pants, and black-and-dark-blue Mao cap. His dark-green hair flowed down loosely to his chin in multiple strands and his golden eyes had an intimidating glint to them, as if these very eyes were about to pierce into the very soul; they reminded Takahashi of Chouko's eyes... He couldn't help but shiver at the thought.

"I'm here for cleaning," the boy piped, "so if you don't mind..."

"Not at all," replied Takahashi, standing up from the bed. Watching as the teenage boy began dusting every nook and cranny of his new bedroom, he could not help but feel intrigued by the history of his...butler? He couldn't tell if the boy actually worked here or something...

"Yes?" asked the boy. Takahashi realized that his act of observing him wasn't so subtle.

"Nothing," the redhead replied. "It's just...do you work here?"

The boy sighed and shrugged dismissively. "Technically, I guess. My mom's worked in this mansion even before I was born. She actually gave birth to me in this very mansion. Since she's a maid, I guess that immediately meant I had to be a..._maid_ as well... Even if I don't technically have any licensing or prior experience. But I'm good at what I do; I've been doing this for my entire life. There's no need to worry if I mess up on anything."

"Okay. That's good to hear." Takahashi flashed a small but friendly smile. "So, what's your name, man?"

"Ukiyo," replied the boy as he continued dusting without directly looking at Takahashi. "Fuuta Ukiyo."

"Nice to meet you, Fuuta. I'm-"

"The guy who was prancing around the front yard and bugging the gardener like an idiot?" Fuuta scoffed as Takahashi sweat-dropped. "Yeah, I know."

Takahashi continued, much more bitterly this time, "The name's Arata Takahashi. Nice to meet you too."

"I've heard you and those two girls will be staying with us for a week. Some program that bastard Sadahiro Hashimoto started." He scoffed again as he moved on to a drawer; his sweeps suddenly became more aggressive. "Well, isn't _that_ nice of him to reach out to ordinary guys and gals like you."

"For your information, it _is_ nice of him to do that, treating me and my friends to his awesome home." Takahashi's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And I really don't like that tone in your voice. Sadahiro Hashimoto is one of the greatest and most influential people in Japan, in the whole world even, and he does not squander all of that for selfish and egotistical reasons. If he were that way, then I wouldn't have been invited over to this damn awesome place by him!"

Once again, Fuuta scoffed. "I see."

"What in the world is with some people?! First Kimiko, and now you! You guys think Hashimoto-san is some bastard! Where's the proof in that?"

Fuuta finished sweeping and gazed at Takahashi with glinting eyes and a nasty smile on his face. The redheaded boy growled angrily at the expression.

"Oh, if only you knew." The green-haired boy then started walking and passed Takahashi, whispering as he did so, "Good luck."

Takahashi looked behind him, just in time to see Fuuta briskly walk out of the doorway and round the corner, out of sight. The redhead sighed with anger.

"Man, you're so difficult... All of you guys..."

With that, he collapsed back onto his bed, although there were no more sounds of excitement and enthusiasm.

* * *

**Hashimoto Living Room  
A few minutes later**

"I wonder where Arata went..." Hasumi said, examining the extremely lavish living room she and Kimiko were standing in.

"He probably pranced off somewhere," replied Kimiko as she pouted. "I just cannot understand the guy. How in the world could he find love in something that's as sick and corrupted as this? Well, I know his lifestyle isn't exactly the best, but he should know what money does to people..."

"Hey, don't lecture to me, lecture it to him. I honestly don't care much about this; all I care about is having the time to find a name for my band."

Kimiko looked at her new friend, an eyebrow raised. "Find a name for your band?" she repeated. "You're a singer?"

"Yep. And a songwriter too." A proud smile crept onto Hasumi's face as she made a pose, appearing as if she was carrying an invisible guitar. "For my entire life, I've always deeply loved music, especially rock music, and it's my heartfelt dream to form a rock band of my own. I already have the band, I have some songs in mind, but practically the only thing I need now is a title for my band." She then frowned sadly. "We've thought of everything, but no good ideas have come up. I guess this is why I'm participating in this program of Hashimoto-san's, anyway. Maybe through his techniques could I learn how to make an appealing name for the band me and my friends created together." She looked at Kimiko. "So, tell me Kimiko, why'd you participate in this if you don't like wealth so much?"

"Well, I was hoping I'd try to see the good side of wealth for a change." Kimiko's pouting expression returned. "But so far, it's not working."

"What's your impression of Sadahiro Hashimoto so far?"

Her response was terse and bitter. "He's such a conceited, arrogant asshole."

Hasumi tried to stifle her laughter. "Wow, that's...that's harsh, girl." After managing to calm down, she asked, "Why conceited and arrogant? Why an asshole?"

"He speaks as if he's some tyrant sitting on a throne, looking down on peasants. He thinks he's benefiting those belonging to classes lower than his; he thinks all the things that he's done are for the good of the well-being others, but underneath it all, I can sense it: his actions are just to promote his big, fat EGO."

"Excuse me?" an emotionless, feminine voice asked. Kimiko turned around and saw Chouko standing a few centimeters behind her.

"EEK!" Surprised, Kimiko jumped away from the silver-haired girl. "Where the hell did YOU come from?!"

"I walked into the room, like any other average person," replied Chouko, as if it was the simplest answer in the world. "Now, what is it that I am hearing about my father, the one who has graciously offered you his shelter, from someone who is at the receiving end of said gift?"

"H-H-_Huh_?..." Kimiko was confused by Chouko's advanced rhetoric. She shook her head and replied, as best as she could, "It's nothing. I was talking about-"

"Someone else?"

The magenta-haired teenager's skin turned pale at the accurate prediction. Hasumi blinked, looking back and forth between the other two girls in curiosity.

"Uh..._yes_..." replied Kimiko.

"So you were talking about a man who coincidentally bears my father's namesake and, judging by your rhetoric, is also wealthy."

Kimiko remained silent for minutes. She knew Chouko had her there; after all, there was no way in _hell_ another Sadahiro Hashimoto resided in Japan as a high-ranking, prominent member of the upper class. However, as much as she hated him, she didn't want to offend anyone who wasn't involved in her agenda. After all, she never was one to involve innocents in her affairs. She opened her mouth, preparing to speak, but Chouko cut her off.

"I know you're talking about my father, Kimiko Nishimura. I do not appreciate this gesture of incivility you are demonstrating towards him, your _host_-"

"I'm just not a fan of rich people, that's all!" blurted Kimiko. "It is something expected of me to rant against rich people like your father, so please, as much as I know you won't like it, I will complain and complain all I want, no matter what good deeds-" She mentally shuddered in her mind. "-he has done for us."

Chouko blinked at her, still looking emotionless. It was that moment when Kimiko noticed she was standing upright, towering over the silver-haired girl, just as she always did whenever she was scolding someone...namely a certain sister of hers... Straightening herself out and sighing calmly, she continued.

"Are we clear on that?" she asked.

"As long as it's not within my father's presence," replied Chouko calmly. "He has gone out of his way to be your host for the week."

"I understand. Not in your dad's presence."

"I guess that shall be a satisfactory compromise. However, do not think I will approve of your unappreciative mannerisms. I have also gone out of my way to be a proper host for you three, physically and mentally." She turned her back on Kimiko and left the room. "I hope you'll remember that."

As soon as Chouko left the room, Kimiko sighed in relief. Then, she turned to Hasumi, who looked dumbfounded.

"What?" Kimiko asked.

"She went out of her way to be a proper host for us?" recited Hasumi. "Physically and mentally? Sounds like she went through a strict training regiment."

"Ah, it's probably nothing."

As Hasumi shrugged and continued exploring the living room, Kimiko collapsed onto a large sofa. After her confrontational discussion with Chouko, the teenage girl felt that she had enough for the day. Her plan would commence tomorrow anyway, and she had to prepare for her observations...

Her mind began to wander, and she thought about Chouko. Now that she thought about the silver-haired girl's mannerisms, she couldn't help but feel as if...as if she knew her from somewhere before. It was the exact same feeling she had when she first spotted Takahashi at the newspaper-sorting facility, but as with the redhead, she couldn't recall meeting Chouko before in her life. Whatever her vague memories were, they seemed quite..._supernatural_...

* * *

**Reserved Bedroom of Arata Takahashi  
Over an hour later**

"HEY, ARATA! WAKE UP!"

"Oh, not now, Mom... Just give me fifteen more minutes..."

Hasumi blinked, then stifled her giggling as she grabbed a pillow and playfully hit her coworker in the head with it, jolting him awake.

"OKAY, OKAY, I'M AWAKE, MOM!" Takahashi's eyes widened, and he looked around, examining his surroundings. "Oh, right. I'm staying at the Hashimoto Manor." He looked up at Hasumi and abruptly blushed in embarrassment. "H-H-_Hasumi_! Y-You didn't have to w-wake me up like that!"_  
_

"I've been looking all over for you, idiot," she replied, putting the pillow back in its original place. "You ran off."

"Well, I guess that is what happens when I arrive at an awesome mansion for the first time, knowing I'm gonna be staying at it for a week."

The redheaded boy stood up from his bed and stretched his arms out. Suddenly seizing the opportunity to impress his longtime crush, he flexed his arms as he did so, attempting to show off the muscles that he managed to develop during the brief exercise regiment he tried to pursue a couple of months ago. However, it was already too late for him, as she was already fully engrossed in the design of the bedroom's interior.

"Wow, you landed yourself a nice room," she remarked. "I haven't seen mine yet, but I'm gonna assume it'll be as awesome as this..."

"I know, right?" Then, Takahashi blurted out, before he could control himself, "Hey, if something happens and you can't use your room, we can share."

Hasumi glared at him, to which he felt all of the heat stored within his body preparing to explode with the force of an atomic bomb. He could not believe he said such a potentially embarrassing thing to the girl he had a crazy crush on for so long! He felt as if the world was falling apart; he desperately wanted to die...

To his dissatisfaction, she burst out laughing, even though it wasn't a jeering laugh.

"Man, Arata, you're priceless sometimes!" she exclaimed between laughs. Then, she looked at him with her blazing eyes, smiled her usual smile, and continued, "But I thank you for the offer. That's very nice of you. I'll be sure to come to you if I somehow can't use my bedroom anymore."

Mentally, Takahashi sighed in relief. Then, he listened closely to the next words she spoke.

"But don't you dare do anything _indecent_ to me if I do share the room with you, Arata. I already have a boyfriend, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," he replied scathingly, although she didn't notice the tone of his voice, for she already began to leave. Sighing, he collapsed back on his bed in defeat. "Oh, Hasumi...if only you knew how much I felt about you... If only that goddamn Noriya Noguchi didn't exist..."

He then stood up from his bed and left the room. Turning right, he froze in his tracks upon spotting the familiar silver hair.

_"Aw, man..."_ he thought. _"Not her..."_

Fortunately, Chouko's attention was diverted elsewhere, for she was standing at the doorway of another room, staring inside it longingly. However, there were no sounds coming from that particular room, so Takahashi assumed she was either immersed in her thoughts, or was looking at something inanimate. Realizing that Chouko likely held him in bad regards and would give him a scolding if she spotted him (after all, he remembered afterwards his 'uncivilized' outburst upon arriving at the manor, which he couldn't help), Takahashi began tiptoeing towards her, since the staircase was conveniently past her.

As soon as he was behind her, Chouko whispered, "Greetings, Arata Takahashi."

The redhead froze in his tracks again, his skin paling. "H-H-_Hey_..."

Chouko narrowed her eyes at her, although her face continued to remain emotionless. It looked rather frightening to Takahashi.

"I believe the proper term is 'Greetings, Chouko'," she said.

"Huh?"

"I believe the proper term is 'Greetings, Chouko'."

Takahashi blinked, realized what she meant, and replied, "Greetings, Chouko. Good morning- I mean, evening."

"Greetings." Chouko noticed his slightly messy crimson hair. "I see you've awakened from your brief nap."

"Yeah. It was a nice nap, I guess..." Takahashi desperately wanted to avoid striking a conversation with the strange girl. "C-Can I go downstairs?"

"I am not stopping you."

He resumed walking, and once he believed he was out of earshot, he let out a heavy sigh of relief. Then, Chouko's next words caused his skin to crawl.

"I heard that, Takahashi."

Not wanting to provoke her unnervingly cold attitude, Takahashi rushed down the staircase at unusually high speeds. Passing by Kimiko without saying a word to her, he quickly entered what he assumed to be the kitchen (or at least one of several kitchens) and instantly spotted several young maids, all of whom were washing the dishes and preparing food. The maids all looked up, curious expressions on their faces; these were replaced with bright, happy ones in seconds.

"Welcome, Master!" they greeted collectively in cute voices. "We're preparing the food for you! What else do you wish for us to do?..."

The maids closed in on him as Takahashi smiled in delight... Hasumi was one of them, leading the rest, with a seductive twinkle in her eye...

...

Takahashi _wished_ he was in the kitchen, surrounded by beautiful young maids...

Instead, he had just been cornered towards a wall by Chouko, who still appeared emotionless, though he knew she was now angry- no, _frustrated_ at him. Her golden eyes pierced his own burgundy ones. Her voice broke his train of thought as he tried to escape the reality of the situation.

"I _really_ do not appreciate your uncivilized, lower-class, tasteless behavior, Arata Takahashi," she said, her voice eerily calm. "The primary purpose of my father's program, the reason you are here, is to educate you about the mechanics of success. Your current behavior and mannerisms are in no way essential to that. As the heir of my father's business, I realize completely that such thoughts and actions, all done for the benefit of only yourself, do not get you anywhere essential and wholly significant in life. If you wish to learn about success, if you wish to become a great businessman, then you must first learn the absolute basics that I have just spoken. After all, you _were_ chosen as a participant for my father's program, and you _were_ excited to be here, isn't that right?"

"Y-Y-Yes..." stuttered Takahashi.

"And therefore, I should assume you are willing to learn how to be successful."

"Yes."

However, Takahashi knew that was a lie; all he wanted to do for this entire week was enjoy it under the roof of a mansion and all of its services. Nothing more, nothing less. He couldn't care less about learning how to become a businessman like Sadahiro Hashimoto, even though it'd help him get a mansion of his own.

"Then I suggest you start being gentlemanly," Chouko said sternly. "Mannerisms are essential ingredients to success."

"B-B-Bu-But...I thought your father said-"

"To enjoy yourselves?" completed Chouko. "No, he is doing this to evaluate you three. Find out how hard he needs to put his knowledge into your minds. But I do not approve of his tactic." Takahashi noticed her frame grow tense. "I believe that, especially in your case, you need to learn now-"

"You _actually_ disapprove of something your dad does?" a familiar voice asked, feigning shock. "Now _that_ is a big surprise, Chou-kee."

Chouko's body relaxed as she twirled around. Takahashi noticed the same boy with the Mao cap approaching them. Fuuta Ukiyo.

"How many times have I asked you not to refer me by that nickname, Fuuta?" asked Chouko calmly.

"What nickname? Chou-kee?"

"Yes. Please..._don't_..."

"Then leave the guy alone. He just got here, and I doubt your dad is THAT much of an asshole to pull off whatever evaluation you just described." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Can't believe you actually said something like that, Chou-kee. I probably should've brought a recorder-"

"I do not appreciate your teasing, Fuuta."

"Then go. Why are you up here, anyway? Don't you have some _studying_ to do?"

Chouko blinked, her face still lacking any discernible emotion. She faced Takahashi briefly again, then walked away from the two boys and down the staircase. Once she was out of earshot, Takahashi let out a heavy (but quiet) sigh of relief, then looked at Fuuta, smiling thankfully.

"Man, thanks dude," he said. "She was totally ganging up on me."

"That's Chou-kee for you," replied Fuuta, shrugging.

"What the hell did _I_ do, anyway?! All I did was say hello to her, and she lectures me on how to do it 'the right way'."

"And I'm betting she went all-out Rambo on you when you were relieved from almost getting out of her hair."

"...Y-_Yeah_..." Takahashi raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what's Rambo?"

"Never mind that. What you need to know is that she obviously doesn't like you. Especially after your little-" He cleared his throat. "-outburst in the garden."

"Like I didn't notice." The redheaded teenager shook his head. "Man, that girl is even worse than my boss. Doesn't she know I take living in an awesome place such as her home seriously? I couldn't help it once I got here. If she lived like I did, in a crappy house with a crappy lifestyle and a crappy job, she'd know..."

"Believe me, she can get very obsessive over proper mannerisms and stuff. That's how she and I became friends. I'm just a total opposite of what she expects people under her roof to behave like, and she tries to lecture me every chance she gets." Fuuta chuckled and shook his head again. "She stops after a while if you don't listen to her, but you will always see that death glare in her eyes every time she looks at you. It's a scary thing, those eyes of hers, huh?"

"Damn right, it is..." Takahashi clenched her fists. "Man, she seems to be such a pain in the ass..."

"Tell me about it. I gotta deal with this on a daily basis..."

Takahashi looked at Fuuta, and Fuuta looked back. A chord of understanding between the two seemed to have been struck.

Finally, Fuuta said, "Look, I apologize for my behavior during our first meeting."

"No, it's okay," replied Takahashi, shrugging. "Apparently, people just hate Sadahiro Hashimoto nowadays."

The green-haired teenager raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "And you don't?"

"To be honest, I mostly like him because he offered me a chance to stay in this awesome mansion of his." He looked out of a nearby window, staring on as the bright sunlight broke through the finely-designed glass. "You should live in _my_ home for a week. You're gonna wish it passed by when a minute goes by." Then, he sighed as he realized something. "I kinda feel bad. I mean, he's set aside his spare time to give us this much, and all I have been doing is acting like a little kid. I probably should be thanking him..." He looked at Fuuta. "Don't you feel at least a little thankful for Hashimoto-san?"

"What do you mean?" Fuuta asked.

"I mean, you may not have the best job, but you get to live in his mansion all the time instead of at some other, less desirable home."

"I guess I should feel grateful he lets us live here..." Fuuta looked away. "If only I could... It's just..."

His voice trailed off, prompting Takahashi to ask, "It's just what?"

"It's complicated. I don't think it should concern you." He looked back at him, smiling. "Anyway, I probably should get back to work. Sorry if I kept you waiting."

"No, it's okay. Hey, thanks for saving my ass back there. I thought she was gonna-"

"Freeze you to death?" completed Fuuta. He then chuckled. "Yeah, she gives you that feeling, doesn't she? And you're welcome."

Takahashi nodded and walked down the hallway, past Fuuta. However, before he could go down the staircase, he heard the boy call out to him.

"Hey!"

The redhead looked back. "Yeah?"

"Sorry, but I forgot your name. What was it again?"

Takahashi blinked, then smiled and replied, "Arata. Arata Takahashi."

"It's nice to meet you, Takahashi. We might disagree on certain things, but I guess we found one topic to agree on."

"Yeah, that's right."

Takahashi trekked down the staircase, happy and content that he was able to quickly settle things with Fuuta and find a good friend in him.

_ **"Thank you...so much..."** _

He suddenly stopped and looked up. Fuuta was in the middle of dusting a wooden table holding a vase.

"Hey, Ukiyo!" he called.

The green-haired teenager looked back, adjusting his Mao cap. "Uh, yeah Takahashi?"

Takahashi blinked as he continued to watch Fuuta adjust his cap. For some reason, he found a sense of familiarity with that strange choice of clothing. He didn't know what was happening anymore; first Kimiko, then Noriya, and now Fuuta? Left and right, strangers were completely familiar to him...

"Did you say something?" he asked.

Fuuta raised an eyebrow. "No. Why?"

"Oh. I could've sworn you said something to me..."

"I have nothing else to talk about, if that's what you're thinking."

"Oh." Takahashi nodded. "Sorry. I'll just be going."

And with that, the redheaded boy continued going down the stairs, thinking about what just happened.

_"What the hell is going on here?..."_

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor Backyard**

"Oh my God, they have a POOL!" Hasumi exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight as she and Kimiko stood in the backyard, examining its layout. "And a Jacuzzi too! I'm SO glad I was able to bring along my swimwear for this!" She glanced at Kimiko. "You gonna go swimming?"

"Yeah, I guess," replied the magenta-haired girl absentmindedly, looking absorbed in her thoughts. "Maybe later..."

Before Hasumi could continue, she felt a vibration in her pocket. Realizing that it was her cellphone, she took it out, checked the number, and answered it.

"How's jail, Noriya?"

"Oh, ha ha ha," came the sarcastic voice of her boyfriend. "Very funny, babe, very funny. FYI, I managed to lose those cops. Those suckers are too cowardly to even take a little jump." He laughed arrogantly. "Anyway, babe, did you ask the guy if you could have visitors over?"

"He said we're free to do as we wish for the weekend, and didn't mention any limitations. I'm assuming that includes having friends over."

"So...is it okay if we can party there?"

"Did you really have to ask? I'll give you the address-"

**"OH MY GOD, A POOL!"** shouted a familiar voice. Takahashi dashed out of the mansion and towards the side of the pool. **"AND A JACUZZI TOO! MY GOD!"**

"What was that, babe?" Noriya asked, having heard the outburst.

Hasumi giggled at Takahashi's enthusiasm and replied, "Oh, it's just Arata, freaking out over the mansion as usual."

"The redhead? I should've known. Hey, he's not doing anything indecent to you, is he?"

"Of _course_ not, babe. Why would he?"

"Every time I see him with you, he ogles you every chance he gets."

She scoffed. "Nonsense. Arata's too nice and sweet to do that, Noriya. _You_ on the other hand-"

"Hey, it can't be helped!" Noriya interrupted irritably. "You HAD to be gifted with a hot body. Anyway, let's save that for the party. What's the address again?"

Meanwhile, Takahashi's attention had been diverted from the pool. He had just heard Hasumi compliment him again, let alone speak highly of him towards that bastard Noriya Noguchi. Blushing happily, he then heard Hasumi give the mansion's address and then frowned; he knew she was inviting Noriya over. No doubt that would be followed by Hasumi's friends and band-mates, not that he held them in contempt as well. He had been hoping to spend the weekend alone with Hasumi, without as much sources of interference as possible... He sighed and looked at the surface of the pool as it glittered with the sunlight.

"You okay, Arata?" a voice asked.

Takahashi looked to his left and saw Kimiko standing there. He then looked back at the water's surface.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied.

"Seems your excitement has finally died down. About time."

The redhead exhaled and glanced at Hasumi, who was still talking on the phone. Kimiko followed his gaze, saw who he was looking at, and smiled craftily.

"You know," she said teasingly, "she's gonna go swimming later."

"So?"

Kimiko closed her eyes, still smiling. "I'm assuming you brought your swimwear, Arata?"

"Well, of course..." Takahashi realized what she was talking about and sighed. "Oh. I get it. You're saying that I get to see her wearing some hot swimsuit." He looked at Kimiko, an upset look on his face. "Yep. Might as well be the closest thing I possibly have to letting my perverted side run wild."

Kimiko elbowed him lightly. "_Or_...this could be a good chance for you to compliment her."

"Oh, so you're being Cupid now?" He scoffed. "Four words, Kimiko. She. Has. A. BOYFRIEND."

"Doesn't seem like that's stopping you."

He glared at her angrily. "As much as I like- no, _love_ Hasumi and want her to love me back, I am not selfish enough to ruin her own happiness for the benefit of my own. If she is happy with that bastard Noriya Noguchi, then I might as well sit back and let her enjoy it. I'm not gonna do that to her."

"Wow." Kimiko looked legitimately surprised. "You really _do_ like her, don't you?"

"No, I-I..." Takahashi looked back and sighed in relief upon seeing that Hasumi had gone back into the mansion; his voice had been a bit too loud. "I love her. I mean... She's always been so nice to me when everyone else at my school kept making fun of me and giving me hell for being average, since day one. ...She is actually the only person who bothered to be my _friend_. And I got my crush on her because of that. She treats me like I'm..._not_ average. Like I'm special."

Kimiko listened to the entire story, her eyes shimmering with pity. She pursed her lips.

"Wow... So...you're telling me she's your _only_ friend?..."

"The one and only. I'm surprised she's stuck with me this entire time..."

"Well, that's a lie."

Takahashi looked at her. "Huh?"

Kimiko smiled brightly at him. "I'm your friend too."

He blinked in surprise. "You... You consider yourself as _my_ friend?"

"Ever since you walked me home."

"Why? Wasn't I _ogling_ you during the walk?"

"Well, you like Hasumi a lot, so I didn't have to worry about myself. Besides...I think I can trust you with anything. And I don't think you're average."

"You...You think I'm not average?"

"No." Kimiko smiled. "I think you're...you're special."

"As in how?"

"I don't know. I just think you are special." She lightly punched Takahashi in the shoulder. "And I swear, I'm gonna help you land Hasumi."

Takahashi sighed and shook his head. "No, no, you don't have to do that-"

"Come on! Let me prove I can be your friend too! You look cute with Hasumi anyway." She made a determined fist. "I will give you advice on how to approach a girl like Hasumi. What do you say, Arata? You know you can't hold those feelings forever. They're gonna eat you alive from the inside. What do you say?"

Takahashi blinked at Kimiko, shocked at her attitude towards him. For some reason, he felt..._welcoming_ towards it; even though they only knew each other for a week, he felt as if they knew each other for their whole lives. It was a really strange feeling...but for now, he was glad to have it. After all, he was finally having another friend who wasn't Hasumi. And who knows? Maybe Kimiko might help him get over his feelings for Hasumi...

He nodded happily. "Let's do this."

* * *

_"WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?!"_ Kimiko thought as she aimlessly paced around the Hashimoto backyard._ "I SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON THAT BASTARD HASHIMOTO, BUT NOW I'M GOING OUT OF MY WAY TO HELP ARATA OUT ON A SIMPLE GIRL PROBLEM! GOD, AND I'M ALREADY CALLING HIM BY HIS FIRST NAME!"_

She suddenly stopped pacing and looked up at the sky. Not a single cloud was present, allowing her an unhindered view of the blue sky. She sighed calmly.

"Okay, calm down, Kimiko," she whispered to herself. "You've got one week to act. There's no need to rush, right? Arata's a friend; you should help him out. You have plenty of time to get yourself accustomed to being Hashimoto's employee, then protest against his methods. Yeah, that's right. There's plenty of time..."

Kimiko looked back towards the pool, where Takahashi was still at. He was dipping his feet into the water of the Jacuzzi, relishing in its soothing feel.

_"Besides...I feel like this is really important...and I must help him... But...But why?..."_

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor Family Room  
Later that evening**

Takahashi couldn't have asked for a better dinner than this. Sitting at the oblong eating table belonging to the Hashimotos, he stared hungrily at the exquisite dish of food before him. He was about to eat it all like a ravenous animal, but he felt someone's cold stare trained on him; looking up, he was greeted by those judging golden eyes belonging to Chouko, and he then knew better than to act uncivilized, especially since not everyone still had their dishes served to them.

"So, Takahashi?" asked Sadahiro, catching the redhead's attention. "How do you like my hospitality so far?"

Takahashi smiled excitedly, partially because he didn't have to deal with Chouko's pressure.

"Oh, I'm greatly enjoying it so far, Hashimoto-san!" he exclaimed in response. "I really thank you for offering us your hospitality! It's really appreciated!"

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine." He then smiled as a maid placed a dish of food in front of him. "You'll enjoy the food, you three. Junna's quite the master cook."

"I can't wait," replied Hasumi, who was sitting beside Takahashi at his right.

Meanwhile, Sadahiro glanced at Kimiko, who had already been served her dish. Now, she was playing with her food, apparently lost in thought.

"How about you, Nishimura?" he asked.

"Huh?" Kimiko looked at him and cracked what appeared to be a heavily forced smile. "Oh yeah, I'm enjoying it so far."

However, Sadahiro raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't look like you're enjoying yourself right now."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Hashimoto-san. I was just thinking about my siblings back at home."

Takahashi glared at her. "Wow, you have siblings?" He sighed sadly. "Man, I wish _I_ had a sibling. Preferably a brother. It's so quiet and dull at my house."

"Well, look at the bright side, Takahashi," Sadahiro said, smiling. "Without any siblings, it shall give you more time to focus on your dreams and ambitions. Look at Chouko, for one example. She has no siblings of her own, and it gives her a lot more time and good opportunities to attend to her studies. She doesn't need to have other opportunities, ones that can potentially weigh her down. One of the keys to success is to put your dream as your first and foremost opportunity."

Before Takahashi could reply to that, there was a clatter of metal, followed by the scraping of the chair. Kimiko had stood up, a fire alive in her eyes.

"How the hell could you say that?!" she screamed.

"Pardon me?" replied Sadahiro, confused.

"So you're saying that people you love, such as your siblings, would just _weigh you down_? You're saying that in order to be successful, we should just cast them aside in favor of our dreams?" She narrowed her eyes menacingly. "Why the hell would I wanna do that to my siblings, who I love so much?!"

"I didn't mean it literally. I am just describing the advantages of having no siblings-"

"Oh, well here's some disadvantages! It'd be pretty damn lonely to have no siblings, for one! I'm pretty sure Chouko wishes for a sibling, deep down inside!"

"I do not wish for a sibling," Chouko said calmly, her eyes closed, "nor do I feel any sense of loneliness because of it. After all, I have my parents, and all of the employees of this mansion. I have a lot of people who are sure to relieve me of any feelings of loneliness that cloud my mind."

"Yes, that's right," Sadahiro replied, proudly ruffling his daughter's silver hair as Kimiko seethed angrily. "Now, if you please, Nishimura, do kindly sit back down. I sincerely apologize if I brought any degree of offense towards you, and I really wish for this dinner to be a tranquil, civil one."

Kimiko looked at Takahashi and Hasumi, both of whom were looking back at her in surprise, then back at Sadahiro and Chouko. Then, her body loosened up as she sighed and sat back down on her chair. As she did, she quietly whispered, in an almost inaudible voice, "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted, Nishimura," replied the businessman, smiling at the restoration of order. "Now, my wife should be here at any moment, so please, do refrain from succumbing to your hunger, children. We cannot start this nice dinner without the lady of the household. For now, let's occupy ourselves. Takahashi?"

Takahashi's attention was quickly piqued. "Yes, Hashimoto-san?"

"Tell us a little about yourself."

"Well, for starters, I'm a sophomore at my high school. A public one, of course. My grades are okay..._ish_..." The redhead cleared his throat. "Nothing much to say about myself, really." Then, he snapped his fingers as he remembered something. "Oh, I do have a dream I'd like to share with you all."

"Really? Enlighten us."

"I've always hoped to become a businessman one day."

Takahashi could've sworn he heard Chouko scoff, but he ignored it. In the meantime, Sadahiro raised an eyebrow, a curious twinkle in his eye.

"Businessman, eh?" he asked. "What would your company specialize in?"

"I'm...not really sure... That's as far as my ambitions go..."

"Well, it's a good thing I have you under my wing. My lessons could help you get on the right path towards your goal. How about you, Itagaki?"

Hasumi blinked, surprised that she was being addressed, then replied, "Well, I have always wanted to start a band. It's been a dream of mine since I was a kid because I've always been a big fan of music. Especially rock music. Me and my friends actually already have a band formed, but what we don't have right now is a good name. To this day, I still work on it." She smiled brightly. "But I guess if I spend this week having your lessons, I could probably have some inspiration."

"A band, huh? That's nice, that's actually really nice. Music is a great venue in entertainment. Since Hashimoto Communications has some influence on recording stations, then I'm gonna assume we'll see each other again in the future. I wish you and your band luck in your endeavors."

"Oh, thanks," Hasumi replied, smiling.

The businessman then turned to Hasumi, his eye twinkling. "And how about you, Nishimura?"

"Huh?"

"What's your story? What motivates you to come to me for education in the world of business and industry?"

However, before Kimiko could respond, a woman stepped into the kitchen. She heavily resembled Chouko, with her petite form, smooth silver hair, golden eyes, and emotionless face. She stopped, spotted Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi, and smiled a small smile in greeting.

"I assume these are the three teenagers participating in your program, Sadahiro," she said.

"Yes, they are," replied Sadahiro. "This is my wife and Chouko's mother, Chitose. Honey, these are Arata Takahashi, Hasumi Itagaki, and Kimiko Nishimura."

"A pleasure to meet you, miss," Takahashi greeted.

"Yeah, it's cool to see ya," added Hasumi.

"Hey," Kimiko whispered.

"Oh, thank you, you three," Chitose replied, smiling. "So, I sincerely hope you three are enjoying the hospitality of my family and my home."

"We are, thank you very much," said Takahashi.

"That is good to hear." The silver-haired woman sat beside Chouko, just as a maid placed a dish of food in front of her. At the same time, all of the butlers and maids, including Fuuta, seated themselves at the table, their own dishes ready. "Well then, enough of this conversation. Let us eat."

"Itadakimasu," the group recited before eating their meals.

No one noticed the heavy, relieved sigh that came from Kimiko's mouth before she ate her first spoonful of food.

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor Living Room  
A couple of hours later**

Night had fallen upon Hashimoto Manor as soon as the dinner ended. Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi were now in the living room; the latter two were sitting on chairs, while Takahashi was relishing in the luxury and comfort of the sofa and its pillows. After a couple of minutes passed, he looked at Kimiko curiously.

"Hey, Kimiko?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she replied absentmindedly.

"What happened back there?"

Hasumi looked at Kimiko, a curious expression also etched on her face. "Yeah, what was that?"

"What was what?" Kimiko said bitterly. "I was just saying the truth, that's all." She glared at the both of them. "Don't tell me you two _agreed_ with that crap."

"Well, _no_," Hasumi replied. "I don't think having a sibling affects your dream. But I'm pretty sure Hashimoto-san didn't mean it in _that_ sense-"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he meant it in every goddamn way. I know it."

"Kimiko," said Takahashi, "you shouldn't just lash out to him like that, though. He's being very nice to us, giving us this kind of luxurious shelter, treating us with respect, giving us advice on how we can be like him... I know you don't like rich people, but they have feelings too, and if you keep this up, you'll hurt his."

The magenta-haired girl looked away. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Now, please get off my case. I really don't wanna talk about this any further."

"Kimiko, are you okay?" Hasumi asked.

"I'm fine!"

Hasumi blinked, continuing to look at Kimiko curiously. Then, she shook her head, checked her wristwatch, and stood up.

"Well, Noriya's gonna be here in five minutes. I'm gonna go change into my swimsuit now. See ya at the pool."

The pink-haired girl left the room, leaving Takahashi and Kimiko alone. The redheaded boy looked at Kimiko, who was now staring out of the window.

"Hey, Kimiko!" he whispered.

She glared at him angrily. "What? My apology not good enough for you?"

"No, it's not about that! You said you'd give me advice on how to approach Hasumi! I want to have my first lesson. What do I do?"

Kimiko's green eyes widened in surprise as she remembered the promise she made with him. At first, she wanted to turn him down, being heavily caught up in her frustration against Sadahiro Hashimoto and his beliefs. However, as she looked into Takahashi's gleaming, determined burgundy eyes, she was once again struck by their familiarity. Angrily berating herself for her tough decisions in her mind, she nodded in understanding.

"Well, first things first," she began, "girls like being given compliments from guys. Considering she's gonna be wearing her swimsuit, you compliment her. Say to her that she looks beautiful in it." She then raised a finger at him in warning. "And don't make it sound perverted. Don't act as if it is just about her body. It's all about what she is: herself. So therefore, make it all about her. Be nice. Be kind. Be what she is to you. D'you understand, Takahashi?"

Takahashi recited, "Compliment her, but make it about what she truly is, not about her body, and don't make it perverted. Got it."

"No ogling too!"

"Okay, okay, I get it!"

Just then, the doorbell rang, followed by three consecutive loud knocks on the front door. Takahashi sighed and shook his head.

"No other idiot would just ring the doorbell and then knock hard on the door..."

The two heard the doorman open the front door, followed by Noriya's voice shouting, "**YAHOO**! TIME TO GET THIS PARTY **STARTED**, BITCHES!"

"I appreciate it if you not use such foul language, sir," the doorman said calmly.

"What, you have a problem with that, ya loser?"

A brief, deathly silence, then... "No, I don't, sir."

"That goddamn idiot..." whispered Takahashi.

Seconds later, a group of four people entered the living room, all carrying bags. One of them was Noriya, who looked extremely gleeful and was grinning with a nasty excitement of sorts as he examined the entire room. Takahashi then recognized Noriya's companions as Hasumi's friends and fellow band-mates, Masako Watanabe, Hitomi Saito, and Saori Inoue. The three girls all spotted the redhead, and Masako frowned at him bitterly.

"Well, well, well," she said, smirking, "if it isn't Mr. Average."

Takahashi frowned bitterly. "And hello to you too..."

"REDHEAD!" Noriya exclaimed, wrapping his arm around his neck tightly, causing him to gag slightly. "Good to see ya again!" He gave a jeering grin. "So, how is this fine mansion. Did ya have a heart attack the moment you first saw this place? I'm betting ya fainted right before ya stepped foot into this place first..."

Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all giggled at Noriya's joke, while Takahashi sighed angrily.

"Good to see you aren't in jail...Noriya..." gagged Takahashi sarcastically.

Noriya frowned and tightened his grip. "I don't like that tone you're using, redhead..."

Kimiko, finally having enough, stood up and marched over to the purple-haired boy. Takahashi's eyes widened, as did the other girls' as she faced Noriya.

"Hey, leave him alone," she snarled.

Eyeing the magenta-haired teenager with interest, not showing any intimidation, Noriya merely laughed in response. Then, he released Takahashi, allowing him to collapse on the sofa and catch his breath. Immediately afterward, Noriya leaned in close towards Kimiko, who did not flinch at all; he traced his eyes upward, observing her body. Takahashi growled in disgust when he noticed that Noriya's eyes stopped for a moment at Kimiko's chest before resuming their movement.

"You're lucky your girlfriend is _awfully_ cute, redhead," Noriya said, cracking what appeared to be his seductive grin, although it looked nasty. "If Hasumi was not _my_ girl and I had my way, I'd likely be asking this lovely little chick out on dinner." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing Kimiko to scoff. "Eh?"

"Oh, I'm flattered," replied Kimiko sarcastically. "_So_ flattered. Now get outta my face, pervert, or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Noriya leaned in closer; their noses might as well be touching. "Come on, babe, you know you can't resist..."

"NORIYA!" Masako shouted suddenly, an outraged expression on her face. "What're you DOING?! You're actually _cheating_ on-"

"Settle down, Masako, I got this." He focused his attention back on Kimiko. "So, what do ya think of me now, babe?"

Suddenly, Kimiko smiled a smile that would've as well belonged to the worst of villains. For one second, Noriya wasn't intimidated, as usual. In another second, his purple eyes widened in horror, followed by a loud and drawn-out moan, one of agonizing death. Everyone else's jaws dropped open in complete disbelief as Noriya Noguchi collapsed to the carpet, his hands tightly placed over his crotch, his body quickly assuming a pitiful fetal position. Kimiko's arm was outstretched and in the position of an upward-facing punch, her fingers balled into a deadly fist. Her devious smile was still in place.

"K-K-Ki-Kim-_Kimiko_..." stuttered Takahashi, unable to comprehend what just happened.

He had never seen a girl like her remain completely unaffected by Noriya's seductive efforts, let alone even down him with only one single punch, even if it was focused on his crotch. His eyes widened when Kimiko then knelt down beside Noriya, her expression now one of friendliness, as if nothing had happened.

"Hopefully _that_ taught you a lesson or two," she whispered into Noriya's ear. "_Now_ are you gonna behave? Or do you want another lesson in manners?"

Noriya nodded. However, the magenta-haired girl suddenly punched him in his side, lightly so, but with enough force to elicit a pained, fearful whimper.

"Can't hear you," she snapped.

"Yeah, I'll behave," replied Noriya quickly.

Kimiko smiled. "Good."

"OH MY GOD, WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!"

Everyone looked at the hallway and saw Hasumi standing there, wearing a red two-piece bikini with white flower patterns. Her face was reading an expression of confusion and shock. Both Noriya and Takahashi blushed in complete embarrassment, while Kimiko stood up and approached the aspiring singer.

"Apparently, your boyfriend has some issues with loyalty," she said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go change into my swimsuit."

Kimiko left the room, leaving everyone else behind, completely dumbfounded. Takahashi heard Noriya whisper something.

"_Good God_..."

* * *

Takahashi couldn't believe his luck as he watched Hasumi and Noriya arguing inside the mansion. He, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori were all standing outside in the backyard, near the swimming pool. At this point, the Jacuzzi had been activated, and Hitomi and Saori were wading their feet in the warm water. As for Masako, she was pacing around impatiently, muttering incomprehensibly to herself. Then, she finally stopped, looked at Takahashi as he continued to watch Hasumi and Noriya's argument unfolding, and then marched towards him. Takahashi noticed her coming; his eyes widened in alarm.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he exclaimed. "What's going on?!"

Angrily, Masako slapped him hard across the face, her brown hair flying as she did so.

"YOU JERK!" she snapped furiously.

"What the hell did _I_ do?!" Takahashi hollered, clutching his cheek.

"You're really such a loser, aren't you?! Looking at those two, possibly the greatest couple in the world, yelling it out, with that stupid smile on your face?!" She scoffed, her teeth still clenched. "But then again, I know what's going on. You have that stupid crush on Hasumi, so you're happy they're breaking up-"

"Wait, what?!" interrupted the redheaded boy. "How'd you know I had a crush on Hasumi?!"

Masako scoffed again. "You've never been the best at hiding secrets. It was SO obvious." She glared at Hasumi and Noriya. "Happy now, Mr. Average?"

"Yeah, well I am," Takahashi snarled. "Can't believe you think Hasumi and that bastard make a great couple. Didn't you see what happened back there?!"

"He does that all the time. He just looked so serious this time. But-"

Suddenly, she stopped and smiled. Takahashi followed her gaze, then felt his heart drop upon seeing Hasumi and Noriya embracing and kissing happily.

_"Oh, goddamn it..."_ the teenager thought sadly. Then, he was forced to crack a happy smile at the couple as they stepped into the backyard.

"I see you two have made up," Masako said, smiling.

"Well, as long as _someone_ keeps their promise-" Hasumi lightly elbowed Noriya in the shoulder. "-then this ship is still sailing, and still sailing strong." Then, she looked at Takahashi, smiling at him. "Hey, Arata. Wanna go swimming?" She winked playfully. "Maybe you can hook up with one of the girls or something..."

Takahashi blushed in embarrassment, while Masako grunted disapprovingly.

"No, not in a million years would I _ever_ hook up with _Mr. Average_," the brown-haired girl snarled. Ignoring Takahashi's bitter expression and Hasumi's sorrowful one, she walked away and called out at Hitomi and Saori. "Alright, girls, we are gonna go swimming! Let's get this party STARTED!"

Hitomi and Saori both let out a collective shout of joy as they abruptly started taking off their clothes, followed by Masako. Takahashi gagged in shock, but once the three girls completely peeled off all of their clothes, he realized that they were wearing bikinis underneath. Grinning with delight, Noriya rushed towards the swimming pool and jumped inside it, followed by the three girls. Meanwhile, Hasumi noticed Takahashi's shocked expression and grinned playfully.

"I see you enjoyed that little show there," she said.

Shaking his head, Takahashi replied, "No. Nope. I was just..._surprised_, that's all."

"Why don't you join them?"

He shook his head again. "No way. Those girls wouldn't want an average person like _me_ to be sharing the pool with them. They don't like me."

"_Masako_ doesn't like you, and don't let that bother you. She's always tough to people around her."

The redhead scoffed. "Yeah, I wish."

"But Hitomi and Saori, _they_ don't have a personal say about you. Who knows? Maybe you can hook up with either of them...or maybe both..."

"No."

Hasumi leaned towards Takahashi, and he made the mistake of looking at her. His eyes widened at her; with her playful, teasing expression, her pose, and her goddamn bikini, it seemed as if she was _seducing_ him. His skin began to redden with every passing second, and she noticed this, causing her grin to widen.

"What's wrong, Arata-kun?" she asked. "_Shy_?"

He didn't know how much of this he could take. All of the pressure and mental agony...a man could only take so much. He could feel his heartbeat increase very rapidly as a rather intense heat held him in its grip. His mind was spinning with so many thoughts... The world blacked out around him...

* * *

"Arata? Arata?! Arata, wake up! ARATA!"

Takahashi moaned with exhaustion as he regained consciousness, feeling someone lightly slapping his cheek. His eyelids fluttered open, then he found himself looking into a pair of sea-green orbs. Blinking in surprise, he quickly sat up, nearly bumping his head into Kimiko's as he did so.

"Wh-What?" he asked. "H-How long was I out?"

"For almost a couple of minutes. I was thinking about pouring cold water over your head."

"Well, thanks Kimiko..."

Takahashi noticed that Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori were still in the pool, swimming and laughing. Glancing at Kimiko, ignoring the bikini-clad Hasumi, who was still present, his eyes widened in surprise. Kimiko was wearing a two-piece bikini of her own; it was green and rather thin, showing off her body.

_"Couldn't a guy get any more luckier or what?..."_ he thought before passing out again.

* * *

**Bedroom of Chouko Hashimoto**

Chouko watched from her bedroom window as the other teenagers played in the pool or attended to Takahashi, who had just fainted again. She scoffed at the redheaded boy's foolish, uncivil acts. Never before had she come across anyone so frustrating; she thought Fuuta would be unsurpassed by anyone else. With a disapproving sigh, the silver-haired girl turned away and prepared to walk out of the bedroom when she saw Junna at the doorway.

"Oh, Junna-san," she greeted, not reacting at all. "What are you doing over here?"

Junna smiled and raised her dustpan. "Well, gotta clean your bedroom before you go to sleep, my dear Chouko-chan."

"Oh. Well, by all means, go on ahead. I'll just go and change into my sleepwear."

"What, you aren't gonna go swimming with them?"

"I find no priority in swimming and socializing with people of a lower class."

"Chouko-chan, every time I see you, the only person you really talk to is Fuuta-kun. And with your studying sessions, I doubt you have any friends in school."

"So what if I don't have any friends at my school?" Chouko asked.

"Well, isn't it good for you to have some friends? It's always good to have friends around you, joking with you, laughing with you, and having fun with you!"

The girl looked away abruptly, strands of her silver hair flying as she did so. "Friends and acquaintances are a secondary duty in life. Your dreams and ambitions should be one's primary duty. If I alternate between those two duties, simultaneously, then it would deal a severe blow with my dreams and ambitions. And my dreams and ambitions are to inherit my father's company and maintain the fame that has held it in high regards in the world."

Junna sighed angrily and replied, "Chouko-chan, you really need to loosen up!"

Chouko looked back at her. "Pardon me?" she asked.

"I know inheriting your father's company is really important to you, but it does not have to be all the time. It's pretty easy to juggle between your social life and your educational life. Believe me, Chouko, when you have friends, you're gonna have the time of your life, and you won't regret it!"

"There is absolutely no reason for her to be involved in such distracting matters."

Junna and Chouko looked at the doorway and saw Sadahiro standing there, his arms crossed and a stern expression on his face. Junna frowned angrily.

"How in the world could you _say_ that, Hashimoto-sensei?!" the maid exclaimed. "Especially about your own _daughter_?!"

"I am merely doing what's best for her," Sadahiro replied. He then looked at his daughter. "Chouko, please leave the room. I am going to have a little talk..."

Chouko nodded obediently and passed the two adults. As she did, Junna noticed the strange gleam in the girl's eyes, but couldn't think about it any further. As soon as she left the room, Sadahiro towered over Junna, glaring down at her. She gulped, knowing that she had always been smaller than her employer, and it was great knowledge to the both of them that this was an excellent advantage for the businessman.

"Junna-san, I appreciate the concern-" he began.

"Like hell you do," interrupted Junna, looking away and staring out of the window. "Chouko-chan doesn't have any friends!"

"She has your son. That's good enough."

She glared back at Sadahiro. "Yeah, she has one friend. _One friend_. That is sure gonna help her in her future if she runs your business."

"_When_ she runs my business," corrected the businessman, sticking his chin up slightly.

"Poh-tato, pah-tato. How is she gonna interact with her coworkers and employees? Let alone handle a business meeting? You need social skills to-"

"I know you need social skills to do all of that." Sadahiro smiled. "Which is why I bring her to my business meetings. To let her learn off of what I do. And do not worry, Junna-san, I allow her to interact with the members of my board of directors and even business partners and representatives of other companies. She is perfectly capable of handling herself just fine." He then placed his arms on his hips. "Is there anything else you want to talk about with me, Junna-san?"

Knowing that she couldn't reason with her stubborn boss, Junna shook her head. Sadahiro's smile widened, and he nodded.

"Good. Now do your job and clean the room. You're very lucky you're a diligent worker, Junna-san, otherwise I would've fired you for your disgraceful insolence, and you and your son would be out on the streets." He turned around and left the bedroom. "You have a good night, Junna-san."

"Yeah, you too, Hashimoto-sensei," snarled Junna bitterly. However, Sadahiro ignored the tone of his maid's voice and walked away, going out of sight.

With that, she began dusting, all the while wondering what she could do to help Chouko. She knew that girl deserved better than this. But what could she do?

* * *

Simultaneous to the conversation between Junna and her father, Chouko had stopped by at the maid's bedroom. She planned to go downstairs and retrieve a book for her to read, preferably one related to business. However, when she passed the doorway to that bedroom, she stopped, as she always did. That piano always drew her in somehow; it seemed to hold a magnetizing trance. After resisting briefly against her underlying emotions, Chouko glanced into the room.

There it was. The piano. Even if the room's lights weren't on, its surface continued to gleam, as if it were calling out for her, begging her to play it. Chouko took a step forward, entering the room, but stopped herself from continuing. She could feel all her fingers twitching on their own accord, as if they were pressing the individual keys on the keyboard. She can easily imagine herself playing that mysterious, intriguing tune on it...

If only she knew what that tune was... It was so catchy...

Chouko's eyes widened when she realized what she was thinking. She shook her head and lightly punched herself in the cheek.

"Do not think that way," she whispered to herself. "You are Chouko Hashimoto, heir to Hashimoto Communications. You cannot deny your future..." She tried to turn away, but continued to find herself captivated by the piano. "You cannot... The Hashimoto legacy calls for it... I cannot...distract myself...with this..."

"You have a good night, Junna-san."

"Yeah, you too, Hashimoto-sensei."

Realizing her father was about to leave, Chouko quickly stepped out of the room and pretended to dust herself. At that moment, Sadahiro appeared.

"Oh, hello Chouko," he greeted. "Did you forget something?"

"Oh, no," Chouko replied. "I was just dusting myself. I fell over."

Her father raised an eyebrow. "You..._fell_..."

"Yes, Father."

"You fell over."

"Yes, Father."

Sadahiro raised an eyebrow, but Chouko maintained her posture. She knew that her father found her answer to be strange, but she was proud to hold enough discipline to give off the impression that she was innocent of any wrongdoing. Finally, he sighed and shook his head.

"You know," he said, "Junna-san thinks about you and your well-being _way_ too much."

"It's understandable. She's known me for my entire life. She's like a second mother, in all essentials."

"Yes." However, Sadahiro's voice was solemn. "But she doesn't understand you. Nor does she understand the Hashimoto lineage. She must learn that we take the world of business very seriously. However, she scoffs at it, and it worries me... It really does, Chouko... I should do something about it..."

With that, Sadahiro passed Chouko and traveled down the staircase. The silver-haired girl watched her father go.

_"Do something about it?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this was even longer than the last chapter! Hopefully this one was enjoyable to go through. For some reason, I feel as if the quality sucked a little. With college around the corner for me, I think the pressure's getting to me and I'm losing my edge. Again, I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> And I'm pretty sure we all know who Hasumi's three friends are...
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this long chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	7. A Shopping Trip

**CHAPTER 6: A SHOPPING TRIP**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

* * *

**April 26, 2026**

* * *

**Reserved Bedroom of Arata Takahashi  
Hashimoto Manor**

"Ohhhhh... What... What happened?..."

Takahashi sat up on his bed, blinking in surprise and then rubbing his forehead. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was almost 8:00 in the morning. In response, the redheaded boy groaned, realizing that the swimming party was undoubtedly long over and he couldn't even get to see one cute girl in her bikini. After all, despite his crush on Hasumi, he was still technically a teenage boy with raging hormones. He cursed his body for fainting on him...

"Rise and shine, man," a voice piped. Takahashi looked at the doorway and saw Fuuta standing there, a tray holding a stylish cup of orange juice in his hands.

"Oh, hey Fuuta..." moaned Takahashi.

"I see you had fun at the party." Fuuta emphasized the meaning of his sentence with a smirk, causing Takahashi to roll his eyes.

"Oh yeah, loads." Then, Takahashi looked around, a thought coming to him. "Hey, I, uh, I fainted at the side of the pool. How'd I get up here in my bedroom?"

"Butlers carried you."

Takahashi blinked and raised an eyebrow. "The butlers carried me up here?"

Fuuta nodded in response. "Yep. Just because they're people who serve you guys doesn't mean it's their only job. They've certainly got other capabilities."

"I see..." The redhead slowly got out of his bed. "Is the cup of juice for me?"

"Yep. Fresh and ready to be served. Courtesy of Hashimoto-sensei."

"Oh, thanks." Takahashi took the cup and began sipping the juice inside. After sipping a considerable amount and gulping it down, he nodded approvingly. "Wow, this is pretty good orange juice. Nothing like the usual bland juice I always taste at school. Where do you buy this stuff?"

"We make it ourselves using oranges taken from the garden."

The teenager came to full alert. "This mansion has a _garden_?!"

* * *

**Hashimoto Private Garden**

"**WHOA**!" exclaimed Takahashi in awe as he scanned his head around the entire garden, which consisted of numerous bushes and fields of various flowers, as well as groves of trees of several fruit types. "This garden is AWESOME! Oh my goodness, there's even a garden maze?! Goddamn AWESOME!"

"I know, right?" Fuuta replied, smiling as he observed the garden. "My mom's been cultivating this garden ever since she first came here. She's totally proud of it."

Takahashi nodded in interest and instinctively looked at the clump of sunflowers, suddenly feeling drawn by them. Then, before he could ponder about why he was so interested in those sunflowers, he heard footsteps approaching and looked behind him. Walking towards him and Fuuta were Kimiko, Hasumi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori, with Noriya still clutching Hasumi's hand, much to Takahashi's chagrin. However, he held back his outrage when the six stepped by his and Fuuta's sides.

"Wow, so this is the garden you mentioned, Fuuta..." Hasumi remarked as she broke free from Noriya and kindly stroked her fingers against the petals of a rose.

"Yep, this is it."

"My God, I have never seen a garden this beautiful..." said Kimiko as she stepped further into the garden. She watched as a quartet of butterflies flew over the maze, her sea-green eyes softening when she noticed the largest one leading the rest, who were following along without any fear whatsoever... "Yeah, beautiful..."

"Well, not as beautiful and breathtaking as you, huh babe?"

Kimiko frowned in disapproval as she looked at Noriya, who was wiggling his eyebrow at her in a flirting manner. Nearby, Masako was glaring at him disapprovingly.

"Talk to me again, and I swear to God, I'll have to give you another lesson in manners," she spat.

"Playing hard to get, huh?" Noriya nodded, seemingly in approval. A tiny smile appeared on his face. "I like that..."

Takahashi noticed that Noriya seemed to almost whisper the last sentence to himself. However, he quickly ignored it the moment Hasumi approached him, provoking an intense heat to rise up in his neck. "So, what do you think, Arata?" she asked curiously as she nudged his shoulder with her own. "Of the Hashimoto Garden?"

"I-I think i-it's okay," Takahashi stuttered, almost stupidly, prompting Kimiko to look at him, an eyebrow raised.

However, Hasumi smiled in response and then started walking towards the garden maze. Takahashi instinctively followed her inside, as did the rest.

"All right, let's see how complicated this maze is supposed to be..." commented the pink-haired girl.

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor Backyard**

Chouko watched as the eight other teenagers disappeared into the garden maze. Fuuta was the last to go inside; before he did so, he stopped for a moment and took a quick look back at her. For a moment, she could read the expression etched on his face: it was one of pity, and she knew what exactly he was pitiful about, not that it could be applicable to her. She blinked without emotion at him, prompting him to frown slightly before following the others inside the maze.

She remembered going inside the maze before when she was a child, and it was not one of her best experiences in life. She wound up getting easily lost in the many winding pathways, and she couldn't just tear through the bushes in a straight line to easily get out. Junna and several butlers and maids had to venture inside to find her. Her father had been so infuriated at the situation by the time they guided her out, and she'd never seen Sadahiro so angry before. It was that exact incident that taught Chouko on what would happen if she did something that was not expected of her by Sadahiro. She knew she couldn't repeat that event ever again.

Sometimes, Chouko couldn't help but wonder why she decided to go into the maze in the first place...

"Chouko-chan!"

The silver-haired girl turned around and saw Junna approaching her. "Why don't you join Fuuta and the others?" she asked, giving her a beaming smile.

Chouko frowned in disapproval. "Remember the last time I ventured inside that maze, Junna-san?"

"Oh yes, you got lost. ...But you were alone when you went inside! There's eight others in there with you this time! You can just stick to at least one of them-"

"I'd rather not give that kind of burden to any of them." She glanced back at the maze. "I'll let them have their fun. Me, I need to continue my studies..."

The silver-haired girl prepared to walk away when Junna suddenly grabbed her wrist. She was shaking her head, tutting.

"Always, always, _always_ with the studying..." she said with a tone that indicated disapproval. "Chouko-chan, I swear to God, I am not gonna stop urging you to have some fun for at least once in your life until you _actually_ decide to have some fun for at least once in your life. So _please_...just go out there! Have some fun!"

Chouko grunted abruptly at the last word, as if it was poison to her ears, and pulled away from Junna's grip. She then looked at the maid with shimmering eyes.

"I'd..." she began hesitantly, then paused for a moment. "I'd...rather not..."

She then began walking away, into the mansion. Junna watched her go, her eyes shimmering as well with pity. She knew that she was close this time...

"Oh, Chouko-chan..."

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor Living Room  
A couple of hours later**

Takahashi and Hasumi stepped into the living room and collapsed on the sofa, both extremely exhausted. The garden maze that they'd just gotten themselves out of was more complex than any other maze they have ever seen. Takahashi couldn't help but applaud Junna for her intricate design. Then, he looked at Hasumi, who was seemingly more tired than he was. No one else had gotten out of the maze yet, and it was just them in the living room, so maybe...

Suddenly, before he could speak, Hasumi piped, "Wow, that was quite a maze, wasn't it?"

"It...It sure was," replied Takahashi nervously.

"So goddamn confusing as hell. Thought I was gonna be stuck in it for a while longer." However, the pink-haired teenager laughed heartily. "But it was quite fun! I like having my mind challenged. And to think, me and the girls are gonna go out on a shopping trip?" She sighed. "OMG, this is gonna be the best day of my life!"

Takahashi looked at the floor solemnly. He could easily imagine Noriya deciding to tag along, leaving him all alone and without any opportunity...

"You know, I was wondering," he said suddenly, "would you like to go out somewhere tomorrow? We have the weekend to ourselves, so...maybe..."

Hasumi shrugged, too preoccupied with her exhaustion to even care. "Not sure right now. Just need to get some rest..."

Her voice trailed off, and her eyelids fluttered for a second before finally shutting themselves. When Takahashi was certain Hasumi had fallen asleep, he let out a very disappointed sigh and buried his face in his palms. Sometimes, he didn't even know what the hell he was doing. After all, Hasumi already had a boyfriend, that damn, arrogant Noriya, and she would be more than likely to consider him as just a friend and nothing more. His goal in winning her love was just pointless...

And he knew it. Oh, he just knew it.

Then, the redhead heard a set of footsteps nearby. Looking up, he saw Chouko approaching; clutched in her hands was a book titled 'IT'S JUST BUSINESS, OR IS IT?'

"Oh, hey," he greeted. Then, he quickly remembered his last conversation with Chouko and corrected hastily, "I-I-I mean, g-greetings Chouko! Greetings!"

The silver-haired girl looked at him with a bitter expression (which didn't seem readable at even a short distance) before replying, "Greetings, Takahashi."

Takahashi chuckled nervously and flashed her an innocent smile, hoping to save face. However, she ignored him and sat down on a nearby chair, opening up her book and reading it with devotion. He was surprised when she flipped to the next page after several seconds of reading the current one.

"Quite a fast reader, huh?" he asked.

"Please do not interrupt my studies," replied Chouko indifferently. "It is not good for my brain to be interfered with while it is focused."

"If...If you say so..."

Takahashi continued watching Chouko as she read. For some reason, he became more and more impressed by her as she continued reading. Since she was sitting on a chair near an open window, the sunlight was penetrating through the curtains and illuminating her with a golden light, giving her the semblance of something rather miraculous, but he couldn't find a proper name for that for some reason. She may be a pain in the butt, he would admit that, and yet...as he continued to look at her, he couldn't help but feel that the two of them were close friends for a _very_ long time, maybe more than that...

Realizing what he was thinking, the redhead shook his head. _"Oh my God, what the hell am I freaking _thinking_?!"_ he demanded to himself in his mind.

Suddenly, Chouko said, "And please don't look at me. I'm feeling quite disturbed by your presence."

Takahashi frowned. "Well, that's a nice way of saying that..." he replied sarcastically. "I thought mannerisms were the essential ingredients to success?"

She blinked, then frowned angrily. "Well apparently, your incivility and distastefulness are infecting me." Chouko stood up, clutching her book almost protectively. "If you'll excuse me, Takahashi, I must take my leave. I cannot allow your contagious behavior to infect me any further than it already is."

With that said, she quickly left the room, leaving behind a smirking Takahashi.

"Well, talk about proper..." he remarked to himself.

Then, he looked at Hasumi, who was still sleeping contently, her cheeks slightly flushed... Now that he thought about it, there was something about Chouko's position sitting on the chair, near the window, that cannot be compared to Hasumi in any kind of beautiful position. Takahashi found that odd...

"Hey, Takahashi."

Takahashi looked up and saw Kimiko in the living room. There were beads of sweat on her forehead, and her clothes appeared a bit disheveled.

"That was quite a maze, huh?" she asked.

"What in the world happened to you?" replied Takahashi, examining her form. "You look like you were hit by a car."

The magenta-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Apparently, Noriya's got his own way of 'surprising' other people. He 'thought' I was Hasumi for a second." Takahashi knew from Kimiko's tone that she meant otherwise. She smiled and cracked her knuckles. "But don't worry, I managed to give the pervert another little lesson in manners."

The redhead laughed for a moment. "Oh, that Noriya. Such a bastard."

"Yeah." Her eyes glinted. "You know, I think he's really into me. What I just described, that happened twice in the maze. Whether or not it's because he actually likes me or if it's because of certain other _factors_-" Her face turned slightly red at the last word, and she wrapped her arms around her torso protectively. "-I don't know."

Takahashi's eyes widened. "Knowing Noriya, it's probably because of the latter. The cheating bastard." He then looked at Hasumi again. "I feel bad for her... Does she know her boyfriend is being a little more than unfaithful to her?" He flicked his head at Kimiko. "We should tell her about this. She deserves better than that-"

"Who deserves better than what?" At that moment, Noriya appeared, accompanied by Masako, Hitomi, and Saori. "What are ya talking about, redhead?"

"Nothing, nothing!" exclaimed Takahashi defensively. "I wasn't talking about anything!"

To his relief, the purple-haired boy smirked, but otherwise ignored it. "Okay, then! Well, I see that we all managed to get out of that maze safely..." He subconsciously rubbed an area near his crotch, causing Takahashi to giggle quietly and Kimiko's lips to twitch. "That said, I am not going in there ever again! What a hellhole. To that bastard or bitch who designed it, he or she should've made it less complicated so then I could easily solve it and not wind up lost-"

"Excuse me." Everyone looked at Fuuta, who just appeared in the living room, holding a broom and a dustpan. "That person you just mentioned-" He glared at Noriya with an enraged expression. "-just happens to be my mother." He lowered his head slightly, his hair casting his eyes into shadow. "Don't you dare talk like that about my mother that way. She worked very hard on that garden maze for over a month. She put all of her blood, sweat, and tears into that thing!"

However, Noriya cringed suddenly, taking the last phrase too literally. "Wow, now that's just plain disgusting..." he remarked.

Takahashi slapped his forehead in disbelief. _"My God, that damn moron..."_

Fuuta growled angrily and approached Noriya. He was still holding his broom and dustpan.

"You took that back now..." he snarled.

"Or what, maid boy?" Noriya replied, now grinning maliciously. "Gonna hit me with that broom? Oh, I am so scared- AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

He collapsed to the ground, his hands placed over his crotch. Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all gasped, while Kimiko chuckled almost evilly, her clenched fist raised.

"Remember my advice, Mr. Big and Mighty," she said, looking down upon the cowering Noriya, "you watch your back the next time you decide to pick on someone you believe is smaller than you. Otherwise, they can teach you a little lesson in manners. Is that understood? Or do I have to lecture you again?..."

She raised her foot threateningly, aiming it at Noriya's stomach. The purple-haired boy grunted and nodded quickly, prompting her to lower the foot. Kimiko looked at Fuuta, nodded at him, and then left. Everyone watched her go in either shock or (in Fuuta's case) satisfaction, and Noriya sat up, still clutching his injured manhood.

"My God, what a girl..." the purple-haired boy remarked, his eyes glinting brightly with interest.

At the corner of Takahashi's eye, he noticed Chouko peeking from the wall, watching the unfolding events in what appeared to be curiosity. Then, Chouko noticed that he was looking at her, and quickly retreated. He stood up, looking at the spot she was once standing on, wondering what that was all about...

* * *

**Outside the Hashimoto Manor  
** **A couple of hours later**

Takahashi, Kimiko, Hasumi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori approached the long black limousine, being led by Chitose Hashimoto. Takahashi couldn't help but feel extremely excited. After all, if he was spotted by someone familiar to him while riding inside such a magnificent vehicle, his reputation would soar up to new heights.

"So, you seven wish to go shopping?" asked Chitose.

"Yes, please!" squealed Hitomi and Saori simultaneously, startling the nearby Hasumi and Kimiko.

"Not me," Noriya piped. "Just gonna be going on a nice little date with my girl." He took Hasumi's hand as she blushed. "What do ya say, babe?"

"Sounds awesome, Noriya," Hasumi replied, causing Takahashi to quietly scoff.

_"Oh, if only you knew, Hasumi..."_ he thought.

Chitose spoke again, interrupting his thoughts. "Alright, then! I will accompany all of you and ensure that your purchases are handled without incident. Don't hesitate to purchase anything expensive, any price is within my range." She ignored Hitomi and Saori's squeals of joy. "Well then, shall we go?"

"Aw hell, yes!" shouted Takahashi, his thoughts off of Hasumi. "Let's go now, then!"

Chitose nodded and glanced at the chauffeur. "Chauffeur, to Tokyo, please."

The older man nodded in response and unlocked the doors. Chitose opened up one of the rear doors, and the seven teenagers all went inside the vehicle one by one, Noriya being first, and finally, Takahashi being last. Before he could go in, however, he glanced at Hashimoto Manor and could see one of the windows open. He could easily recognize the silver hair fluttering slightly with the breeze that was currently blowing, and the glint of golden eyes...

"Hey, Arata!" Hasumi called, bringing him back to reality. "What're you waiting for? Come on in!"

"Sorry, coming!" replied Takahashi as he went inside the limousine. Noriya tutted mockingly and shook his head.

"Oh, gonna miss your lovely-wovey home, redhead?" he asked in a childlike tone.

Hasumi frowned at him and punched his shoulder lightly. "Noriya, leave him alone."

The purple-haired boy scoffed and rolled his eyes at his girlfriend, but he otherwise stayed silent as he closed the door, while Takahashi sat down between Kimiko and Chitose in one of the seats. Immediately afterwards, the chauffeur started up the limousine and drove it out of the manor driveway and into the road. During the first minute of driving, Takahashi noticed that all of the windows in the limo were tinted out completely, preventing him from seeing the outside surroundings. He could not help but wonder why that was so, since he wanted to see the expressions of all those people when the limo passed by them.

He then wondered what Chouko's views were on that matter...

_"Eh, she'd probably think it's for the best for one reason or the other..."_

* * *

**Roppongi, Minato  
Tokyo, Japan  
Over an hour later**

"Oh, I am SO glad I got to have this ride!" Takahashi exclaimed happily as he watched the limo disappear into the parking structure. He then followed Chitose and his compatriots as they entered the Roppongi shopping area. "So, what're we doing first here? We gonna go to a high-rate restaurant and get ourselves some nice food?"

"No," Masako replied, frowning bitterly. "We're gonna go shopping right away!"

Takahashi smiled. "Sounds fine to me! I've heard of this new video-game store that just opened up, and I'd like to-"

"No. We're going _there_." The brown-haired girl pointed at a store with a banner that read 'GS QUALITY CLOTHES', earning screams of joy from Hitomi and Saori. "And do be a gentleman and help Noriya hold the bags, will you? It would be very much appreciated from you, _Mr. Average_..."

The redhead's face turned pale in an instant. He knew that being at a clothing store with a group of teenage girls could only mean one thing...

* * *

**A couple of hours later**

"I seriously wanna die right now..." moaned Takahashi in exhaustion.

"For once," Noriya grunted hesitantly, "I actually agree with you, redhead."

Takahashi couldn't help but shiver on instinct at Noriya's remark, but he still found their situation quite understandable. Right now, the two boys were holding several shopping bags in their hands, with more slung over their shoulders and even dangling from their necks. If one were to presume, they might've as well been makeshift holders for the bags. They blushed in embarrassment when a nearby, unrelated group of teenage girls spotted them and giggled at their predicament.

Browsing the clothes racks were Kimiko, Hasumi, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori. The latter three were excitedly going in and out of the changing rooms, trying out many different kinds of clothes and purchasing many of them, while Kimiko seemed to be browsing racks holding clothes suited for younger children; Takahashi knew those had to be for her siblings that she mentioned while he was walking her home. As for Hasumi, she was being more selective in the clothes that were of interest to her compared to Masako, Hitomi, and Saori, picking only a couple to purchase. However, that didn't mean she let Takahashi and Noriya off in their labor.

Eventually, she looked at them and chided, "Hey, no resting, you two!"

"But babe!" whined Noriya, almost like a distressed child. He was almost leaning against a nearby desk. "This is torture!"

"Hey, like Masako said, be gentlemen and help us with the clothes."

"But-"

"Hey, no buts! No but babes either! You're a man, isn't that right?"

"Y-Y-Yeah, but-"

"Then be a man and help me with the bags," she interrupted.

"What're _you_ doing to help _me_-?"

"Hey, picking clothes to buy and wear is a laborious duty all on its own. Consider yourself lucky."

"Damn it..." Noriya's arms began to strain with the amount of bags he was carrying. "This is a really big blow to my pride... I knew I should've gone home early..."

Takahashi struggled to stifle a giggle. As much as he could sympathize with Noriya right now, he still despised him for being Hasumi's boyfriend.

Finally, after almost another hour of this grievous torture, the girls were finally done with their shopping and went over to pay for their clothes. Fortunately for them, Chitose loaned them all of the money they needed to pay for their items. In a matter of minutes, the teenagers all followed Chitose out of the store and back towards the limousine. Masako, Hitomi, and Saori were squealing loudly with delight at their brand-new experience. Hasumi and Kimiko were going over the clothes that they specifically selected. Chitose led the group down the sidewalk calmly, seemingly skillfully ignoring the loud squeals of Hasumi's friends.

And as for Takahashi and Noriya, they were still straining under the weight of the bags they were carrying.

"Can't...believe...the girls...had us...carry...the bags...all the way...back...to...the...limo..." panted Takahashi.

"Damn...it...all... Please, God...please...kill me...now..." Noriya groaned.

"Why?... Why...me?..."

"I...I think...I'm...going down..."

Noriya collapsed on the sidewalk, but only Takahashi noticed. Realizing that the purple-haired boy was out for the count, he groaned, realizing that he now had more of a workload to do if they both had to get back to the limo without being left behind 'accidentally'. He bumped his forehead angrily with his knuckles.

"My God, why?!" he cried.

* * *

**Akihabara, Chiyoda  
Another hour later**

Takahashi and Noriya could only feel the air around them become increasingly colder by the minute as Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all squealed in delight while twirling around in the center of Akihabara, the famous _otaku_ shopping district. The neon lights of all of the stores flashed all around them with bright and radiant colors.

"Ooh, we're in Akihabara!" screamed Hitomi.

"I know, right?!" Saori replied as she clasped Hitomi's hands.

"OMG, this is gonna be so EXCITING!" Masako cried before squealing excitedly again.

"Man, I never knew they were the otaku type..." Takahashi remarked flatly as he continued to watch the three girls' excitement unfold.

Hasumi chuckled and crossed her arms. "Who isn't nowadays?" she replied.

"Me..."

The pink-haired girl blinked. "Man, that's a disappointment. And why not, Arata? Anime, manga, and video games are fun pieces in life too."

"They're just pieces of the past to me." Takahashi shrugged dismissively. "I'd rather not associate myself with them. I mean, it's not that I hate those kinds of things, but I just think that their novelty has passed a long time ago. Not that I mean to offend any of the otakus here or anything..."

"Heh." Noriya cracked a jeering smile as he punched Takahashi on the shoulder lightly (at least, in his opinion). "Always being the boring, uninteresting, average one, eh redhead? Very sad, very sad indeed." He then wrapped his arm around Hasumi's shoulder, causing her to giggle briefly and Takahashi to turn scarlet in anger. "Well now, if you'll excuse me, _Mr. Average_, me and Hasumi have better things to do than to stick side by side with you. Sayonara for now!"

"Oh, what did I tell you, leave him alone, Noriya," Hasumi said as she and Noriya walked away from the scene, Takahashi watching them go solemnly.

"Man, what a pain..." he remarked.

"Having a hard time with Hasumi again?" a voice asked. Takahashi looked across his shoulder to see Kimiko approaching him.

"Yeah." He looked back at Hasumi and Noriya's direction. "I really wish she just knew how I feel about her..."

Kimiko blinked, then closed her eyes in disappointment. "Well, for starters," she said, "you can probably change up your outlook on things as a first step."

He looked back at her. "My...My _outlook_ on things?"

The magenta-haired girl thrust her eyelids open, revealing frustrated sea-green orbs. Takahashi nearly cringed at that abrupt act.

"It's honestly no wonder why people think you're so boring!" she chided. "You don't take anything that's around you too seriously!"

"WHAT?! Yes, I do, Kimiko! What in the world are you talking about?"

"I am not talking about things like wealth and large homes. I'm talking about everyday things, like books and movies and such! Every day I've seen you, ever since I first met you back at the newspaper-sorting facility, you've done nothing but complain about your job and your way of living and wish for riches! You don't take much account for things like clothes or video games! The only things that you care about seem to be things with value that is way above that of the norm. Apparently, it is that kind of behavior that's making people think you don't care much about anything except for things that are out of your reach!"

"Me being rich and having a nice mansion for a home is not out of my reach, not if I don't put my mind into it!"

Kimiko closed her eyes. "I know. But obviously, everyone else doesn't. And seriously, I think you really should take more everyday stuff into consideration."

"What can I honestly take seriously that is not something 'out of my reach'?"

"Oh, I don't know?" She opened her eyes. "What in the world do you like that is not something the Hashimoto family can afford?"

Takahashi's response seemed too abrupt. "I like flowers."

Kimiko blinked for a few moments. Then, she frowned disapprovingly. "Anything other than that?"

"Hey, don't you blame me for not noticing anything and everything that's around me! What in the world do you expect me to like, Kimiko?"

The magenta-haired girl sighed angrily and shrugged. "Oh, never mind..." Suddenly, her cellphone began to ring. "Excuse me..."

When Kimiko walked away to answer, Takahashi blinked. ...He never remembered being too interested in flowers, yet he felt like he was being honest in his answer...

* * *

"Hey," Naotatsu greeted.

"Hey back," replied Kimiko. She could sense the smile on his face. "How are they?"

"Tamika and Kaisei are doing really good. So is Naomi, in her own way." Kimiko frowned disapprovingly at that, but allowed her friend to continue. "Tamika and Kaisei keep asking when you're gonna be coming home, Kaisei in particular, understandably. Oh, and your dad's doing good too."

"That's good..."

"Yeah. ...So, how are you doing over there? Did you make any progress?"

Kimiko sighed heavily. "No, not yet. I'm working on it, though."

"Okay, okay. And, uh...just exactly what are you planning to do right now?"

"Right now? Just get a feel on how Hashimoto handles his business. What his methods are, what he's willing to lose and to gain... Once I get something good, that is where I rely on you and the others to come in. Just stand by and wait for further directions from me in a couple of days, all right?"

"Yeah, gotcha. Good luck, Kimmie."

Kimiko flashed a tiny smile. "Thanks, Naotatsu-kun."

"Yeah. Bye."

"Bye," she said right before hanging up.

Right after as she did, she looked at Chitose, who was closely watching Masako, Hitomi, and Saori. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind, and her smile widened.

* * *

"Welcome to Akihabara!"

Takahashi yelped in surprise at the voice and turned around. Standing there was a large, muscular older teenager with brown hair and squinting eyes. He seemed to be wearing...a _maid costume_? Now he had definitely seen everything. The other boy noticed Takahashi's expression of shock, but instead chuckled.

"Oh, this?" he said. "Yeah, it is what it looks like, man. But hey, the maid café was the only place that could hire me. So, might as well do what I gotta do."

However, Takahashi was still shocked. "You...You're not... You know...uh..."

Getting the implication, the boy moved closer towards Takahashi. A clever smirk was on his face as he winked.

"Maybe I am in that crowd, maybe I am not..." he replied.

Takahashi yelped again and jumped away. "I'm-I'm not that type of person! I-I mean, I'm okay about people of other sexual preferences, I'm quite cool with them! I am VERY cool with people of other beliefs! It's, uh, it's just, uh, I'm not that kind of person too! So please don't get offended; I'm just not-not...not...not, uh-"

"Gay?"

"Y-Yeah..." Takahashi's tone was one of shame.

"Hey, man, don't be afraid of saying that word. Anyway, to get this out of the way..."

He suddenly tore off his maid costume with graceful style, as if there was no tomorrow. At first, a dumbfounded Takahashi screamed out loudly, covered his eyes, and looked away. However, he heard the boy chuckle in amusement without anyone else nearby gasping or crying out in horror. As a result, he uncovered his eyes, slowly turned around and saw that the boy was wearing regular clothes, consisting of a white long-sleeved shirt, a brown-and-red-striped jacket with proper cuffs, and black jeans. The teenage boy burst out into a loud bout of laughter as Takahashi sweat-dropped in embarrassment.

"Man, you're so SENSITIVE!" he exclaimed. "Relax, dude! Anyway, I'm just pulling your leg; I'm not really working at a maid café. Man, you really FELL for it!"

"What the hell?!" Takahashi snapped, frustrated. "What in the world was THAT for?!"

"Hey, pranking people's just my style, man. Ha ha!" He then stretched out his hand. "The name is Fujikawa. Mutsuto Fujikawa. Prankster extraordinaire, just like my father, and his father, and his father before, and his father before. Pleased to meet you. What's your name, man?"

The redhead looked at Mutsuto's hand warily. "And why the hell should I tell you my name, let alone shake your goddamn hand? I hate being pranked, dude!"

"Come on, man, you need to loosen up! Be a real man and tell me your name. It's a code of honor me and my ancestors live up to as prankster extraordinaires to at least learn the names of those they prank." When Takahashi remained apprehensive, he continued, "Hey, at least I did not run out on you as soon as I ripped off that maid costume and told you you were pranked. Come on, man, name, name please, and we'll consider this forgiven and forgotten."

Takahashi continued to examine Mutsuto's outstretched hand. Then, with some reluctance, he replied, "The name's Takahashi."

"Takahashi. Means 'high bridge'." Mutsuto nodded, seemingly in approval. "I like it. How about your first name?"

"Why the hell should I tell you something personal as that?!"

"I already told you _my_ first name. We need to be even! Come on, first name. Consider this as my apology for pulling your leg. Come on, come on!"

Takahashi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew that Mutsuto wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't give him his first name. Not wanting to deal with this for any longer, he angrily decided to give him what the prankster wanted. There was no way his day was going to be spent with this crap.

"Fine, fine!" he snarled. "My name's Arata. ...Arata Takahashi. ...Happy now?"

"Not until you shake."

Growling angrily, Takahashi reached for Mutsuto's hand, only for the other boy to pull back at the last second. The mischief in his wide grin was unmistakable.

"PSYCHE!" he shouted right before fleeing as fast as he could down the sidewalk, passing Masako, Hitomi, and Saori, laughing loudly as he did so.

"What the hell?" Masako asked, confused. She then turned to Takahashi. "What in God's name was that?"

Takahashi shrugged, an irritated look on his face. "The prankster extraordinaire, so to speak." Then, he suddenly felt as if his pocket was a bit lighter, and he patted it quickly. His eyes widened as soon as he came to a horrible realization. "Oh no, my money! The bastard took all the goddamn money in my pocket! I don't know how, but he did! Oh, the goddamn BASTARD!" He ran forward, shouldering Masako as he did so, and raised a fist at the direction Mutsuto fled down. "MUTSUTO FUJIKAWA, YOU GODDAMN BASTARD! I'LL GET YOU BACK FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME! YA HEAR ME?! I'LL FIND YOU AND GET MY MONEY BACK!"

Suddenly, he felt a palm collide painfully with his cheek. Yowling in pain, he clutched his cheek and saw Masako staring at him angrily.

"You're being the goddamn bastard right now, you know that?" she snarled. "Hey, you should be lucky I'm not kicking your ass right now. I am in a happy mood right now, 'cause we're about to go shopping again." She leaned forward, her brown eyes piercing into his soul. "And you and Noriya are gonna be gentlemen again..."

"Oh, no..." moaned Takahashi. _"This day just keeps getting worse and worse... What in the world is going on? And where in the hell's my money?..."_

* * *

"You did well, C," Mutsuto said as he stood in the alleyway, counting the money. Leaning against a wall nearby was a girl with dark-blue hair and wearing a dark-blue tank-top and black jean shorts, as well as a pink, thick scarf with both ends dangling from her shoulders. The scarf was nearly obscuring her mouth. "You did well..."

"My sincere thanks," the girl replied, her calm and collected voice barely audible. "And as usual, the plan was well-executed on your end as well."

"Thank you, C." Mutsuto smiled cleverly as he stuffed the bills into his pocket and looked at C. "Well now, I believe it's you who's picking the next one..."

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor Living Room  
** **Several hours later**

"Oh my God, I can't believe this day was horrible..." moaned Takahashi to himself as he collapsed onto the sofa. He looked out of the window and saw the Sun slowly descending below the horizon. "Such a goddamn horrible day. I get tired out like hell from shopping sprees, I get pick-pocketed... Hopefully tomorrow's better..."

"How are you holding up?" a voice asked. Takahashi didn't need to look to see who it was at that point.

"I'm doing fine, Fuuta," he replied. "Thank you very much."

"Yeah, well if you thought today was horrible for you, you're gonna be out of your mind, literally, when Hashimoto starts lecturing you about business. Trust me, I've seen one of his lectures, and whatever you thought of it, it's definitely not what you're expecting. I swear, it's gonna be boring as hell for you."

"Well, as boring as it may be, might as well learn it so then I can create a business of my own and live the high life."

Fuuta raised his eyebrows. "Still determined to go to hell and back for the sake of riches, eh?" He shrugged. "Well, suit yourself. Who am I to stop you?"

With that, the boy left. Takahashi exhaled, looked out of the window, and then closed his eyes. He felt so tired. Maybe just a couple of minutes of catnapping...

_ **"It is that kind of behavior that's making people think you don't care much about anything except for things that are out of your reach!"** _

Before he fell to the influence of the sandman, the redheaded boy began to wonder about the meaning of Kimiko's words back at Akihabara.

_"I wonder what she meant by that... Things out of my reach?..."_

* * *

**A couple of hours later**

Chouko stood by Junna's room, staring silently at the piano, gleaming in the moonlight. Once again, she felt her fingers involuntary moving and tapping. Once again, she could easily imagine herself playing the instrument... For some reason, this time, these feelings were much stronger than usual... What did this mean?

She suddenly found herself walking into the room. Gasping, she hopped back out, as if she was stepping into deadly, forbidden territory... With reluctance, she stared back at the piano that was taunting her so much. At this point, Chouko didn't know what to do, for the first time in many years...

"Hey, what're you looking at?"

The silver-haired girl twirled around in surprise and saw Takahashi standing there, a puzzled expression on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the quality of this chapter is subpar. This is what I get for refraining from updating for so long. But it looks like more characters are being introduced! If any of you can guess who Mutsuto and C are (C should be easy), then you'll be rewarded with a treat of cyber-cookies! :D
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	8. Two Pairs of Shoes

**CHAPTER 7: TWO PAIRS OF SHOES**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

* * *

**April 27, 2026**

* * *

**Bedroom of Chouko Hashimoto  
** **Hashimoto Manor**

Chouko jerked her eyelids open, and the first thing to greet her golden eyes was the warmth of golden sunlight. Sighing passively, the silver-haired girl sat up on her bed, locks of her hair falling in her face as she did so. She blinked, brushed the locks away, and then looked out of the bedroom window.

She could still remember her conversation with that Arata Takahashi boy outside Junna's room last night...

_"Hey, what're you looking at?"_

_The silver-haired girl twirled around in surprise and saw Takahashi standing there, a puzzled expression on his face._

_"What do you mean?" asked Chouko._

_"You are obviously looking at something inside that room." Before Chouko could stop him, Takahashi stepped into the doorway of the room and looked inside to look at whatever contents were inside. "Hm, there's nothing interesting inside. Bed, table, lamp, closet, some dusty old piano-"_

_"It's not old!"_

_Takahashi yelped out loudly in complete surprise. After recovering from his momentary flinch, he glanced warily at Chouko, and saw that she was standing firmly on her ground, appearing somewhat taller than usual. Her fists were clenched tightly, and her golden pupils glimmered with a raw emotion of outrage, as if he had said a swearword in her face. The redheaded boy blinked and slowly moved himself away from the doorway, his movements being followed very closely by those golden pupils. From her cold, hard stare, he felt as if he could freeze in his tracks. He regretted striking up a conversation with her in the first place._

_"W-W-Wh-What's not old?" he asked._

_Chouko blinked, and her voice was low as she responded, "Nothing."_

_"It's definitely nothing." He glanced back into the room. "You mean that piano?" _ _The silver-haired girl didn't respond, and he took it as a yes. "I'm sorry if that-"_

_"No, no apologies," Chouko interrupted abruptly. "I take back my instance of outrage. You're right; it is a dusty, old piano with no use whatsoever."_

_"I didn't say it was useless."_

_"Well, it is indeed useless."_

_It was Takahashi's turn to blink. "Well, as much as I'd like to agree with you, it definitely didn't sound like you agree with your own sentence."_

_Chouko's eyes widened in shock. Then, they narrowed in fury, causing Takahashi to flinch again. "What nonsense are you spouting at me, Takahashi?! Me, not being in agreement with my sentiments, my own_ sentiments_?__ What would make you think of such madness? Of _course _I agree with my opinions! Why would I not?!"_

_"I-I don't know! It just doesn't make sense for you to defend that piano one second and then agree with me in another!"_

_"I-I wasn't thinking clearly!"_

_"You, not thinking clearly? Are you being serious right now?"_

_The girl crossed her arms. "What do you mean?"_

_"As the daughter of a successful businessman and the heir to his fortune, I am pretty sure being unable to think clearly would be the last thing you'd wanna do."_

_"I do not like this conversation we are having, Takahashi." She turned her back on him. "If you will excuse me, I need to retire to my personal quarters. I've wasted too much time with you, and I have an important day tomorrow, and I believe you do as well. I bid you a pleasant sleep."_

_She began to walk further down the hallway. However, after walking a few feet, she suddenly stopped. Remembering that Takahashi would be spending the following day with her father at the Hashimoto Communications Headquarters complex, Chouko realized the redheaded boy wasn't to be trusted in keeping their encounter at Junna's room a secret. And who knows what would happen when her father learned she was hanging around at Junna's doorway, where the piano was in plain sight?_

_Chouko immediately turned around, just in time to see Takahashi walking towards his bedroom, muttering to himself.  
_

_"Takahashi," she said in her sternest voice, causing the boy to freeze in his tracks. She knew his skin was crawling at the tone of her voice._

_"Y-Y-Yes?..." Takahashi replied, turning his head towards her direction with an innocent smile plastered on his face._

_"Please do not tell anyone of our encounter."_

_The boy blinked in shock. "Wait, what? Why?"_

_"Just refrain yourself from doing so."_

_"Can you just please tell me why? Then I'll have enough incentive to keep my mouth wired shut."_

_Chouko didn't respond. She didn't know if she should tell Takahashi of her love for the piano or not. Unlike Fuuta, he didn't seem as trustworthy with the deepest of secrets. She knew she was already making an extremely dangerous gamble, relying on Takahashi to keep silent about their conversation._

_However, Takahashi seemed to sense what she was thinking. His frown was turning into a slight smirk, much to her displeasure._

_"You don't want anyone knowing about you liking the piano," he said._

_Her eyes widened. "I never mentioned such a blasphemous thing, Takahashi! Stop spouting nonsense!"_

_"Oh, things are starting to get obvious for me now, Chouko." For some reason, Takahashi was looking extremely satisfied with this turn of events, as if he was being gifted with a reward. "After all, why would you suddenly defend the piano and then change your mind about it seconds later? ...Don't worry. My mouth's sealed."_

_The redheaded boy began to walk away, leaving a confused and horrified Chouko behind in his wake. She knew from his expression that there was some other factor motivating him in his silence, something he didn't wish to disclose to her. She didn't like what it could be, but as long as he was giving his word to her, as long as he did indeed remain silent about their exchange, then...it was all worth it. Her father wouldn't have to know and become ashamed of her._

_"Takahashi!" she called._

_He stopped walking again. "Yeah?" he asked without looking back._

_"I am counting on you to keep your word. I'm relying on you to keep my secret. You will not renege on your word, Arata Takahashi?"_

_"I don't know what 'renege' means, so I'll just say this: my mouth is sealed shut like a zipper. I bid you a pleasant sleep, Chouko."_

_The silver-haired girl growled in utmost fury at Takahashi's attitude. She knew he was plotting something. After all, it was clear-cut obvious he did not like her, and vice-versa as well. She was now wondering over whether entrusting him with her deepest-held secret was the best idea or not..._

"I don't know what in God's name you're planning, Arata Takahashi," _thought the girl, _"but trust me, the consequences will be real if you enact this plan of yours..."

And as she sat on her bed, musing about last night's conversation, Chouko continued to wonder if Takahashi did indeed having something in mind for what he'd just learned. Never did she meet anyone this potentially devious. ...In fact, for once in her life, she was legitimately afraid of the future.

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor Family Room**

After getting herself dressed and prepared, Chouko ventured down the staircase and into the family room, where she already found her family and servants, and also the three guests, seated at the oblong table, with plates and items of silverware in front of them. She blinked upon noticing the half-finished food lying on the plates, in contrast to her own allotted plate, whose food was completely untouched. Then, she noticed the disappointed expression on Sadahiro's face, which alarmed her.

_"Oh, no!"_ she thought worriedly. _"Did he renege on his word! Did Takahashi inform my father of my secret, when I told him not to?!"_

She subtly looked towards Takahashi, who was still eating his food in primal excitement. He didn't look as if he had just divulged a sensitive secret. In fact, he didn't appear to know that she was present in the family room. Although...who knew? Probably a part of a ploy to make him look innocent in the affair?...

"Chouko," a stern voice said. Chouko realized her father was now looking at her. Everyone else was now focusing their attention from their breakfast to her.

"Yes, Father?" asked Chouko, trying to make herself as calm as possible.

"You are late for breakfast. You are never late for breakfast. Why were you not punctual today like you always are?"

Realizing that Sadahiro didn't seem to know about her secret, Chouko mentally sighed in relief. The corner of her eye caught Takahashi, who looked just as confused as everyone else. However, the problem now was the lecturing was most likely about to receive from her father, nonetheless of what happens...

"Chouko?" Her father's voice brought her back to reality. Everyone was still looking at her. "Why were you late for breakfast?"

Thinking about it for a moment, she replied honestly, "I...I did not have the best of sleep last night..."

She could hear Takahashi choking on whatever food he had in his mouth. However, she ignored it as she saw Sadahiro's frown become even more pronounced.

"Oh, my dear Chouko. What have I told you about a good night's sleep?"

"That it is completely efficient and healthy for the mind and body. After all, the successful businessman Alastair O'Connor always preceded each and every one of his meetings and conferences with a good night's sleep, and he never had any problems or incidents during any of those events."

"Good. At least you still know how to respond to the situation." The businessman then glanced at Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi. "Speaking of Alastair O'Connor and his healthy sleeping patterns, I was just about to talk to our guests about him. You see, kids, Alastair O'Connor is one of the most successful businessman today, but just like any other aspiring entrepreneur, he started out a lot like you three. Young, bright, innovative, ambitious, his sights set dead on the horizon..."

Chouko heard an abrupt scoff and looked at the trio of Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi. She didn't know who scoffed, but she knew it had to come from one of them. Takahashi was definitely exonerated as a suspect, since he was so enthusiastic about being wealthy and having a mansion of his own, so he wouldn't dare to dismiss her father's statements. Hasumi was the cool type of girl who seemed to just go with the flow, so her attitude about this affair was simply neutral. And that left...

"Let me recite a quote to you three kids," continued Sadahiro, who apparently didn't hear the issued scoff. "Believe me, it is a special quote I live by, since the time I went out and started my own business." He first cleared his throat before speaking, a tone of grandeur now present in his voice. "See, during the dawn of the human race, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers. It was their primal, natural instinct to gather all the necessary materials for them to survive, despite their scarcity in an otherwise unforgiving environment. As the human race evolved, we reject any and all incivility and like to believe that we are civilized, devoid of any primal thought or capability. But that's a lie. We've all inherited our ancestors' primal behaviors. Shelter and nourishment have been merely replaced by goods and services."

"Whoa, that's deep, man," Takahashi said, completely awestruck.

"Indeed it is, Arata Takahashi," replied Sadahiro, smiling proudly. "Alastair O'Connor said it. A very wise man, he was. And I happen to have my own _deep_ quote, as you'd call it. Everything is controlled by business. Without business, there would not be any goods and services to satisfy the consumers. The world revolves around business to survive." He took his glass and silently sipped the water held inside for a moment. "Do any of you see the correlation between those two quotes?"

"Business is instrumental to the survival of the human race," Takahashi said quickly, his eyes shining in determination. "Is that right?"

Sadahiro's smile widened; he was obviously impressed by Takahashi's quick response. "Yes, that is exactly my point, Takahashi. If any of you decide to become men or women in the business, you must always, _always_ have this thought imprinted in your mind: the world is counting on _you_ to keep it sustained. You're all becoming part of a gargantuan life-support system of sorts for this Earth. What you decide to contribute for the human race's consumerist desires must be pivotal and vital for their lives. When you manage to find something that the human race technically cannot live without, then you must _fight_ to keep this product under your control."

Chouko watched in silence as the whole conversation progress. All the while, she was staring at the three guests without any discernible emotions. Takahashi looked excited, Hasumi looked mildly interested, and Kimiko looked like she saw someone vomit right in front of her. She narrowed her eyes at the magenta-haired girl.

"Chouko."

The silver-haired girl came to instant attention. "Yes, Father?" she asked.

"You are still not seated at the table. Please do so." He frowned again. "You are honestly not like yourself today."

Chouko bowed her head slightly at her father's direction. "Yes, Father. My sincerest apologies for this inconvenience."

She immediately sat in her usual chair in the oblong table. As she did so, Chouko continued to stare at Kimiko. Her behavior was most troubling...

_ **"You seem really ignorant of the world, so I'm really worried about you. You and I could've done so much together. We could've hung out and talked all night. If only...If only we had more time. I wish that things...I wish that things could've been different between us, but...we have to...say...say..."** _

"Goodbye..."

"What'd you say?"

Chouko blinked and found herself sitting in her chair again. Kimiko was looking at her with a curious expression.

"It is nothing," replied Chouko honestly. "Do not be so concerned with my affairs."

The magenta-haired girl blinked, then resumed eating her breakfast. However, she didn't notice Chouko continue to look at her suspiciously.

* * *

**Office of Sadahiro Hashimoto  
Hashimoto Communications Headquarters  
Tokyo, Japan  
A couple of hours later**

"Welcome back, Hashimoto-sensei," Takane Toro greeted, bowing her head at her employer.

"Thank you, Toda-san," replied Sadahiro as he, Takahashi, Hasumi, and Kimiko stepped into the former's main penthouse office.

The teenagers noticed the secretary's eye twitch upon hearing Sadahiro's response, but she seemed to shrug it off as she replied, "All the accommodations that you requested are all set up. If there is anything you or any of the children want, then the maids will gladly deliver it for you."

"Maids?" Takahashi asked.

"Yes, we hired a maid café to serve you four for the day. If you want something, all you have to do is press the button on the remotes I am giving you." She handed all four a small remote with a single red button. "Oh, and Hashimoto-sensei, I have some excellent news. The ratings for the news networks have skyrocketed."

"That is excellent news indeed, Toda-san." Toro's eye twitched again, but Sadahiro didn't notice. "I am pleased to hear of it. Okay, you may now leave us."

Toro nodded and turned around to leave the office. However, before she could get out of earshot, Kimiko called out, "Wait a minute, Toro-san!"

"Oh, that's your name, Toro-san?" Sadahiro asked, looking surprised. "My goodness, I called you by the wrong name! My apologies, Toro-san."

"Apology accepted." However, Toro's eye was twitching incessantly; she was obviously unsatisfied with the apology. She then looked at Kimiko. "Yes, Kimiko-chan?"

"Can I talk to you? In, uh...in _private_?..."

The secretary blinked, shocked to hear such a request, but she nodded. "Oh, sure thing." She turned to Sadahiro. "Is it all right with you, _Hashimoto-sensei_?"

Sadahiro frowned, noticing the sarcastic tone in his secretary's voice. However, he replied calmly, "Yes, that is all right. But make it quick, Toro-san."

Toro nodded and took Kimiko towards the elevator. Once the two of them were out of earshot, she asked, "Yes, Kimiko-chan? Is there anything you need from me?"

"Yes." The magenta-haired girl looked around to see if anyone else was listening. When she spotted a security camera at the corner of a nearby wall, she moved her position subtly to prevent the camera from reading her lips. "Do you... Do you have any idea if Sadahiro keeps any files on the company for himself?"

"He should. After all, he runs Hashimoto Communications. He should have access to his own personal stash of files."

"Do you have any idea where they are?"

The secretary's eyes widened in surprise. "Me? Know Hashimoto-sensei's _personal files_ are located? Heh. Fat chance. I'm just his secretary. I've been on the job for only a few months. I definitely do not know where in the world he could keep personal files. I would guess it'd have to be somewhere personal to him, though."

Kimiko grinned slightly. If Sadahiro did indeed keep those files in a location personal to him, then she knew where to exactly find them.

"Why do you wanna know, Kimiko-chan?" asked Toro curiously.

"Oh, nothing." Kimiko gave her an innocent smile. "Just curious. Never know what exactly I will learn." She turned around and saw Sadahiro, who was now boasting to Takahashi and Hasumi with some cock-bull story about business. The girl frowned and muttered to herself, "Oh, I'm so gonna get you, you stuck-up bastard..."

"Kimiko-chan?"

The magenta-haired girl turned around to look at the secretary. "Yes, Toro-san?" she replied.

That was when she noticed the suspicious expression on the woman's face.

"Why are you here?"

Kimiko blinked in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Why exactly are you participating in Hashimoto-sensei's new program?"

Kimiko's innocent smile instantly widened. "Oh, I was just curious on how the world of business goes on about. I was thinking about going into business, actually-"

"Kimiko-chan, I grew up with four older brothers who loved to cause trouble. I learned a few things from them. Including knowing whenever someone is lying..."

Kimiko's eyes widened in horror. _"Toro-san is becoming suspicious!"_ she thought. _"Oh God, oh God, oh God, what am I gonna do? I need to give myself an excuse..."_

Toro's eyes suddenly became narrow. "You know, I remember a news report about this high-school club called the Global Awareness Club. A ragtag bunch of teenage activists, if I remember the words of the reporters correctly. They were protesting the illegal experiments of that cosmetics company that's now shut down..."

Hot beads of sweat broke out on Kimiko's forehead. _"Oh, no... She definitely knows what I'm up to... Oh, my God, it's all over. It's all definitely over now..."_

"Kimiko-chan," continued the secretary, "I know why you're here."

"You...You _do_?..."

"Yes. From the moment I first saw you. I can definitely remember the face of that headstrong leader who was making all of those determined speeches for that club. I only remained silent because I wasn't sure if I was dealing with a lookalike. But the moment you asked me about Hashimoto-sensei's personal files, I just knew."

_"Damn it!"_ Kimiko just wanted to punch herself, literally punch herself to death for her stupidity. _"Damn it, damn it, _damn it_! Never trust anyone next time, Kimiko!"_

"I'm betting you're now wondering what I'm going to do, now that I know your little secret. Kimiko Nishimura."

"Are...Are you gonna report me?..." replied Kimiko, her sea-green eyes shimmering with welling tears of defeat.

"No."

Kimiko blinked in shock. "W-Wh-_What_?" she replied, trying her best to contain herself. "You're not gonna report me?"

Toro nodded. "Yes. You have my word, Kimiko-chan, that I won't report you."

"W-Why?"

The secretary glanced at the camera in the corner of the wall. "I can't answer that. Not here. It's a potentially sensitive matter." She looked back at the teenage girl. "We'll meet after your appointment with Hashimoto-sensei. When we do, I'll give you a time and place to meet up. It'll be then when I tell you everything I know."

Kimiko couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did Toro know something that she should know about?... Could it be the thing that would expose Sadahiro Hashimoto for what he was truly was, a stuck-up bastard who cared for nothing but success and ratings? Could the nightmare that plagued her for so long be coming to an end?

Knowing that this was probably her best chance at getting something good, she nodded in agreement, smiling triumphantly.

"You got it, Toro-san."

Toro nodded and replied, "I'll see you later, Kimiko-chan. Oh, and please stay quiet about our conversation. You know why."

"Don't worry. I will."

The secretary turned around and silently pressed the button to summon the elevator. Meanwhile, Kimiko looked back at Sadahiro. She could not possibly believe that everything was finally turning in her favor. However, all of this was so savory for her that it caused her to grin widely. She almost resembled some sort of maniac.

"I finally got you," she whispered excitedly to herself. "Oh, I finally got you. What the hell are you hiding, you stuck-up bastard?"

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor**

"I can't believe you just sucked up to your father during breakfast, Chou-kee..." Fuuta groaned in agitation as he gave Chouko her school clothes.

"What have I told you about that distasteful nickname, Fuuta?" Chouko asked, her tone calm and neutral as she grabbed the clothes from his hands.

The green-haired boy sighed and rolled his eyes. "That you do not like it, I know, I know, I get it, Chouko." He sighed heavily before adding to himself, "If only..."

"And what exactly was so displeasing about me apologizing to my father about sleeping late? It was the truth; I was having difficulty sleeping last night."

"Everyone has difficulty with sleeping once in a while. Surely you can't be an exception to that-"

"But I cannot _afford_ to be an exception, Fuuta," interrupted the silver-haired girl.

Fuuta watched on as Chouko approached her closet door, opened it up, and unfolded a section of it outward to obscure her entire torso. He then looked away as she began unbuttoning her shirt, blushing slightly as he did so. Wanting to divert himself away from the awkwardness of the scene, he spoke up again.

"Why in the world _did_ you have trouble falling asleep anyway, Chouko?" he asked. "I-If you didn't want to be the so-called exception, then it'd figure that you'd have fallen asleep on time last night." He accidentally took a glance and saw Chouko straighten out her hair; he could see the bare skin of her naked shoulders. When she looked back at him, he immediately looked away, blushing again; he hated having to be present whenever she changed. "Why didn't you?"

Chouko immediately stopped redressing. "Why do you wish to know?"

"W-W-Well, I-I mean..." stuttered Fuuta. "Well, uh, I mean, y-you're not t-th-the type to f-fall asleep late. L-Like you said, y-you didn't want to be an e-exception..."

The silver-haired girl looked away from her only friend, her eyes devoid of emotion. "I wish to not answer your question, Fuuta, as much as you have well intentions behind it. My most sincere apologies, but I do not want to be distracted any further. I cannot afford to stray from my schedule any further."

Fuuta grunted angrily to himself. If Chouko wanted to avoid answering his question, then he had a feeling it had something to do with his mother's piano. Then, the young servant heard Chouko refold the section of the closet door and then close it, allowing him to look back in her direction. The teenage girl was now wearing the school clothes that he gave her, and her original clothes were held in her hands. Cracking an innocent, small smile, Fuuta took the clothes from Chouko's hands.

"It's okay," he said. "I was just asking..._Chou-kee_."

Chouko frowned. "Fuuta-"

"It's about my mom's piano, isn't it?"

The girl blinked, then replied calmly, "I have no idea what you are talking about, Fuuta."

Fuuta's smile turned into a frown. "I knew it. You know you can't lie to me, Chouko. I know whenever you're lying to me about something-"

"I do not like this conversation we are _having_ right now, Fuuta. If you will kindly excuse me..." She prepared to step past him, but was blocked by him. "Fuuta-"

"Chouko, you HAVE to stop being so obedient towards the bastard you call your father-"

Chouko stepped up towards Fuuta, their faces inches apart. She stared him down with her golden eyes, narrowed menacingly, but Fuuta maintained his ground.

"I do NOT appreciate you foolishly insulting my father like that, Fuuta," she said in a cold yet disturbingly calm voice. "Your behavior is becoming intolerable, Fuuta. I absolutely deeply regret summoning you to provide me with my school clothes. You should be extremely glad I have chosen to not report this to my father otherwise you would be running around the manor's perimeter for hours on end. And I am sure that you wouldn't want to have this kind of punishment to be forced upon your shoulders, now don't you?" She then looked away. "And no, my reason for not sleeping is NOT because of your mother's piano, as much as you'd want it to be."

"Then what _is_ your reasoning for not sleeping on time, Chouko?" Fuuta asked, crossing his arms.

Chouko looked at him, her frown still in place. "I...I honestly do not know, Fuuta. Now, if you would _kindly_ excuse me, I have to leave for school. I CANNOT be late."

She managed to move past her friend without any further resistance from him. Sighing angrily, Fuuta looked back to watch as Chouko walked down the staircase.

"Oh, Chou-kee," he whispered to himself, "if only you could understand how restricted your life was... Then you'd probably understand..."

* * *

**Office of Sadahiro Hashimoto  
Hashimoto Communications Headquarters**

"So, first thing's first," Sadahiro announced, looking at Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi, "we'll be meeting with my board of directors. You three will observe as I hold a business meeting with them. Now, before I can continue, I must ask questions about your social lives, so forgive me if I am prying into any personal details."

"No, it should be fine," replied Takahashi, smiling.

"That's good. Now, Takahashi, do you have any friends? If so, how many are there, and how close are you to them?"

The red-haired boy saw Kimiko look at him in the corner of his eye. He could sense what she was thinking. After all, he poured out his feelings about his social life to her back at the swimming pool two days ago. However, looking at Hashimoto, he didn't want the businessman to think lowly of him if he responded honestly. So...

"Oh, I have lots of friends!" he exclaimed. "Loads and loads of 'em!"

However, he sweat-dropped upon seeing Sadahiro's eyes narrow suspiciously.

"Yeah..." the businessman replied. "You know, Takahashi, a vital ability that a businessman must have in his work is reading the people he or she come across. That includes members of the company's board, employees, representatives of domestic and foreign competitors, the audiences your company is appealing to... You must be able to _understand_ other people and discern their emotions, even if they are just strangers to you. That way, the businessman will be in full control of a meeting and the participants, whether he is in or out of his environment, which is the number-one essential for business. You, Arata Takahashi, are no exception to this."

Takahashi gulped, for he knew what Sadahiro was getting at. "You know I'm lying, don't you?" he asked shamefully.

"Yes, I do know you are lying. And for me to know in a split-second is rather disgraceful. Is it _really_ important for you to lie about your social life?"

"I...I thought you'd think of me as a loser if I didn't have that many friends..."

"I actually would not think of such nonsense, Takahashi. Many notable businessmen spent their childhoods without a single friend or acquaintance. I myself spent my childhood without such distractions. Outside of that boy servant at the manor, Chouko has no friends either, and she is still capable of handling the world of business. However, enough of that. What I am saying is if you have any close friends, then you should be able to easily read them, know what they want, and use that to your advantage. That, Takahashi, is one of the main points of being a businessman. Be they your friend or your foe, you must be capable of reading every single emotion that is present on their faces and then discern what they are thinking. Since you don't seem to have any close friends, that is fortunately not a problem for you."

"Oh, that's good..." Takahashi replied, breathing a sigh of relief.

In the meantime, Sadahiro looked at Hasumi. "And how about you, Itagaki? Do you have any close friends?"

"I do, in fact," the pink-haired girl replied. "Four, in fact. My boyfriend and my three band-mates. I also have a number of other friends at school, but not all close."

"I see. And how well do you know your boyfriend and your band-mates?"

"Like the back of my hand," Hasumi said, her voice full of confidence. Sadahiro nodded in approval.

"Alright, such a satisfactory response. You must have learned about this beforehand from observing your father, Itagaki. He should be proud to have a daughter like you." The businessman smiled slightly. "And surely you must be proud to have a successful father like him, isn't that right, Itagaki?"

Hasumi nodded at him. "Yeah, that's right."

However, Takahashi looked at his friend and crush, his eyebrow raised in curiosity. He didn't know if this was Sadahiro's lecture getting to him, but he could sense an extremely stiff tone in Hasumi's voice. He didn't have enough time to think about it, however, when Sadahiro spoke again, this time addressing Kimiko.

"How about you, Nishimura?" he asked. "Do you have any close friends?"

Takahashi and Hasumi both looked at Kimiko and noticed that her skin was extremely rosy, and a frown of some unknown emotion was etched on her face. However, upon being spoken to, she looked up at Sadahiro and smiled at him innocently, although the redness didn't dissipate from her face.

"Well-" she began, but then, she was cut off by the ringing of Sadahiro's cellphone.

"Hm?" Sadahiro examined his cellphone, and his eyes widened. "Excuse me, kids. I need to take this phone call."

The three teenagers watched as he stepped a few feet away from them and answer the cellphone. Then, Takahashi turned to Kimiko.

"Are-Are you okay, Kimiko?" he asked.

"Huh?" Kimiko looked at him with a curious expression. "What're you talking about, Takahashi?"

"Your face was all red, and you were frowning. It looked like you were mad about something-"

"Damn right I'm mad," snarled the magenta-haired girl, cutting her friend off. "Who does that stuck-up bastard think he is, spouting all of that goddamn bull-crap to us? Read our closest friends and learn from them, then use that information to our _advantage_?! Like they're only tools for our success? And how could he say having friends is just a _distraction_? He's just contradicting himself!" Then, a disturbingly malicious smile suddenly appeared. "Oh, but I got him... I _got_ him..."

"Got him?" Takahashi was becoming alarmed by Kimiko's behavior. "What do you mean you 'got him'?"

Kimiko's eyes widened, and she looked at Takahashi in alarm. The boy assumed that she meant to say the last sentence quietly to herself, but she spoke too loudly. However, before the conversation could continue, they heard Sadahiro sigh heavily and looked up; he had just hung up from his call.

"A slight change of plans, children," he said, the tone of his voice grave. "We are going to Nishitōkyō. Immediately."

All three teenagers came to instant attention. "What happened in Nishitōkyō?" asked Hasumi worriedly.

Sadahiro closed his eyes. "The cult."

The room suddenly grew much colder in temperature as the horrible news quickly washed over Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi's minds. Their fears escalated in just a manner of split-seconds; they had loved ones living there. If the cult was spoken of, it was no doubt because another of their trademark mass graves was found.

The businessman continued gravely, "They found another mass grave near one of the neighborhoods."

Kimiko's face paled. "Which neighborhood?"

"That is all I was told. We will be heading there now. As the one who now helps to sponsor the manhunt for these savages, I must be present for an announcement. As businessmen and women, we must demonstrate that we are there to support the public in times of need, and will be as well. That shall be another lesson for you children for the day." He shook his head. "Although it pains me to bear witness to such monstrosities. This madness is growing out of control. Simply out of control."

* * *

**Nishitōkyō, Japan  
A local suburban neighborhood**

Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi found themselves sighing in relief when they found that the neighborhood mentioned by Sadahiro did not belong to any of them, nor was it located near any of their actual neighborhoods. However, it alarmed the three to know that these cultists were active in their community. Chances are that the next mass grave will be found much closer to their neighborhoods, or maybe even _in_ them...maybe even containing some of their loved ones...

Watching as Sadahiro walked up to the podium to deliver another announcement to the news crews, Takahashi heard Kimiko shuffling. He looked to his side and saw her reaching into her pocket, pulling out her cellphone. Her movements were extremely frantic, and her eyes were shimmering.

"What're you doing, Kimiko?" the redhead asked.

"Calling my home," replied Kimiko, her voice strained. "I have to check on my siblings, my father, and my friend. I need to see if they're all okay-"

"You heard the police chief. All of the victims lived in this exact neighborhood-"

"Still, would it hurt to check?!" the girl shouted, startling Takahashi.

"Okay, okay, jeez! I'm sorry I asked!"

Kimiko frowned angrily and turned away, while Takahashi's eyes softened. He understood her concern, though considering the facts that were at hand, he personally didn't see any reason to worry. After all, their loved ones were far away from any harm that the cult could possibly inflict upon them, at least for the time being. But there definitely was enough time for them to move away for their safety before the cult could strike again, so still, he didn't see any reason to worry...

The redheaded boy looked away from Kimiko and spotted Hasumi. She was examining the neighborhood that was the latest scene of the terrible activities of the cult. He noticed her eyes were glimmering with tears, and he immediately decided to seize his chance in having a nice tender moment with her.

"Are...Are you okay, Hasumi?" he asked, approaching the pink-haired girl.

"Huh?" Hasumi twirled around and saw Takahashi. She immediately blinked away her tears. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Arata."

"You don't look fine, Hasumi. I know what you're thinking."

"Really?" She crossed her arms. "What exactly _am_ I thinking about right now?"

"The title for your band's first album." He scoffed and rolled his eyes at his sarcastic response. "I _know_ you're thinking about your dad and if he'll be okay."

"And I'm wrong to do so?"

"Well, knowing your dad, he'll beat those cultists up to a pulp if they ever try to touch him. Trust me, I know." He subconsciously rubbed his side. "Heh, I know."

Hasumi narrowed her eyes at him; the tears were starting to return. "So you think I'm wrong to think that way?"

"This is _way_ far away from your place!"

"This cult has been traveling all over Japan. They've claimed the lives of dozens of victims and changed the lives of their families forever. They're unpredictable. They are _dangerous_. And you, you are saying that it is all going to be _fine_?" Her eyes softened. "You're not even worried about your mom?"

Takahashi remained silent for a moment. Indeed, he was a bit worried about his mother and her well-being. However, in the wake of all this terror, he wanted to stay strong, even in the face of this situation. After all, what in the world would Sadahiro Hashimoto, one of the most successful and wealthy businessman in the country, do? Right now, he was on the podium, giving out a heartfelt speech for the victims to a crowd of onlooking, mesmerized reporters.

What would Sadahiro Hashimoto do?...

"No, I'm not worried," he replied boldly. "I know she'll be fine."

A sad expression appeared on Hasumi's face as she looked down at the ground. "I see," she said.

"It's gonna be okay, Hasumi, I swear."

"Uh-huh. ...Arata-kun?"

Takahashi's eyes widened; Hasumi rarely called him 'Arata-kun'. To him, it sounded a bit _cute_; it might've as well made his heart melt.

"Yeah?"

"Ever wonder what it's like to be in the shoes of someone else?"

The redhead blinked in confusion. "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, Hasumi."

"When you're trying to be someone else, someone you are not?"

"I really don't know what you're trying to get at here, Hasumi."

"Hearing Hashimoto-san's lecture, back at the headquarters complex, I realized...this isn't what I expected business to be."

Takahashi chuckled a little. "Yeah, sometimes life surprises you. The things you want turn out to not be what they always seemed."

"I don't want business."

"W-Wh-What?!" exclaimed Takahashi, shocked.

Hasumi looked back up at her friend. "Never did. I was hoping that learning from Hashimoto-san would give me a feel on how to please my fans when I start a band with my friends, but after he gave us that lecture, I knew those weren't what I wanted to do to get fans, or even how to maintain my band."

"What're you talking about?"

"I don't _want_ to understand my fans. I already understand them. And I certainly do not want to use their emotions to my advantage. I only wanted to write and sing songs that would appeal to their emotions and give them a brand-new world to escape in. Just like music had done for me..."

"But...don't you _need_ to understand your fans' emotions so you can write songs that would appeal to them?"

"The businessman will be in full control of a meeting and the participants, whether he is in or out of his environment, which is the number-one essential for business. Hashimoto-san said that. And I don't agree with that kind of ridiculous philosophy. You shouldn't be in control of your audience. Your audience should be in control of _you_. You need to understand, sympathize with your audience. You do not just read their emotions and use them to your advantage. Otherwise, you'd just be a faker.

"You'd just be in the shoes of someone else."

"But, but, but..." stuttered Takahashi, "what Hashimoto-san said...it makes sense too-"

"Really? So you think Hashimoto is right in advising that you must emotionally separate yourself from everyone else, act like some machine that assesses a situation and takes the most logical option, at the cost of something greater, something that you'd hold very dearly?" She scanned Takahashi's calm and composed form, and then let out a scoff. "Yeah, look at you, trying to be the strong one, still knowing the fact that someone you know and love could be in danger, yet brushing it off."

"But my mom is way far out of their reach-"

"No, she's in close proximity to them. What would happen if those cultists get to her, huh, despite your beliefs that she was completely fine? How would you react?"

"I... W-Well, I..."

However, Takahashi stopped speaking as soon as the cold truth came over him: Hasumi was right. Who in the world was he kidding?! As much as he wanted to try to be strong and businesslike, he still thought about his beloved mother, and now that Hasumi opened his eyes, he found himself pulling out his cellphone.

* * *

**Takahashi Household**

The Takahashi home was silent and devoid of any life. The only noise that was present inside was blaring from the old, rickety television set, which was currently set on a news channel reporting on the discovery of the newest mass grave. However, it was soon joined by an almost ominous ringing sound that was coming from the phone in the kitchen. Finally, after three successive rings and no one to respond, the phone went straight to voice-mail.

_ **"Hi, you've reached the Takahashi residence. As you can tell, no one is home right now, but if you'd please leave behind a detailed message, we will reach you as soon as we hear it. Okay? Okay. Bye-bye! Eh, Arata-ku-"** _

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor**

"I don't know why she's being so IGNORANT, Mom!" snapped Fuuta as he helped Junna fold several clothes and put them in massive piles. "It's obvious she wants to play your piano, but she's too loyal to that stuck-up BASTARD that she wouldn't even give a second thought about her own well-being!"

"Fuuta-kun," Junna replied, shaking her head disapprovingly, "what have I told you about using that language?"

"To hell with that right now, Mom! This is _Chouko_ we're talking about here! For her entire life, she's never made a single decision for _herself_. Not once has she even been allowed to think for herself...and I think she's aware of that. I mean, ever since you got that damn piano, she's always been wanting to play it!"

"I too am concerned for Chouko-chan, Fuuta-kun. But remember, all of our money comes from Hashimoto-sensei. If we speak out, we'll be out on the streets."

"Yeah, says the person who confronted Hashimoto-sensei two days ago over Chouko not being able to swim with our guests-"

"It was not a confrontation, it was a peaceful, tactical negotiation, honey. Will you get me that green blouse over there?"

Fuuta hastily retrieved the article of clothing and handed it to his mother. "But what exactly are we supposed to DO, Mom? What am _**I**_ supposed to do? Chouko has been my closest friend since, like, forever! What kind of friend would I be if I just allow her to suffer like that, to have her eat at herself from the inside-out?!"

"Well, the only thing that'll solve the situation now is if Chouko-chan finally stands up for herself."

The green-haired boy scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, and we all know how _that_ will turn out."

"I know it's gonna be hard, Fuuta-kun, but we just have to trust in Chouko-chan. I know she'll come to her senses, sooner or later. She cannot keep her true feelings bottled up within her any longer. I have full confidence in that. Anyone who can do so is just not human. There is no need to worry, honey."

"And if she just doesn't, Mom?"

"What exactly makes you think she won't?"

"She's technically in the same situation as us. If she rebels, then Hashimoto-sensei will kick her out. He will not want a child who challenges him. And she knows it."

"Well, we help her. Support her in any way we can. Give her all of the strength and confidence that she sorely needs. You can decide the rest for yourself."

Fuuta looked on as his mother continued to fold clothes. He then looked down at the shirt he was holding, immediately recognizing it as belonging to Chouko's. With a heavy sigh, he began folding the shirt and handed it over to Junna. As he did, he began to thoroughly ponder her words.

_"Chou-kee,"_ he thought. _"_Will _you stand up against your father?..."_

* * *

**Unknown location**

The man wearing the golden hood sat in front of the old television set, flipping through its channels. The channels were news outlets, all of which were reporting the new mass grave's discovery. A triumphant, sadistic smirk appeared on the man's face as he sensed the slight fear in the reporters' voices. His hand glided up to the deceased rabbit hanging from his neck like a necklace, and stroked its fur longingly like it was some sort of a pet.

Finally, after a while, he switched off the television and stood up.

"The time has come to strike the Hashimotos..." he announced as he turned around and left the unknown, dark room.

* * *

**Nishitōkyō, Japan**

Takayoshi Asahara silently observed the crowd of reporters that were gathered around the scene of the newest mass grave discovered, like a pack of ants that would swarm around a piece of food if it was discarded. He scanned the crowd, hoping to spot any of those sadistic cultists responsible for ruining his life forever. However, all he could identify from the crowd that stood out were just a bunch of teenagers who didn't even appear to be living in the area.

Several minutes passed, he couldn't distinguish any cultists in the crowd or nearby. Grunting in disappointment, he turned around and left.

_"I couldn't find any of those damn cultists again,"_ he thought. _"Goddamn cowards, not even bothering to show up in person to brag about their murders. But I must not lose hope now! I must find the people who killed Dad. And once I'll do, I'll avenge his death. I'll kill them all!"_

* * *

Nearby where Takayoshi was previously stationed, Fuyuhiko Ezakiya stood, savoring the fear that was in the air. He never imagined that the cult he admired so much had claimed its latest victims in his neighborhood, of all places. Oh, how he wished he could've come across them in the middle of the act and participated. He really would've loved to have seen an actual religious ritual of theirs. At this point, he wanted to beat himself up for sleeping in late.

He scanned the crowd, wanting to see the emotions of every person present and feed off on their fear. Unfortunately for him, the reporters there were all too heavily invested in covering the story to be scared. In fact, there was a positive aura in the air, now that some guy in a suit had come up to the podium and started talking.

Then, he noticed three teenagers in the crowd, all of whom looked extremely desperate. Now _that_ he liked. Especially...the one with the magenta hair...

_"Ooh, magenta hair is pretty cute,"_ he thought as a malicious sneer appeared on his face. _"The fear on her face... So delicious... I _must_ have more of that..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	9. Under Attack, Part 1 of 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! There will be some violent scenes, and a reference to cutting and suicide ideation in this chapter! Readers, beware if you must!

**CHAPTER 8: UNDER ATTACK, PART 1 OF 2**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

* * *

**April 27, 2026**

* * *

**Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"So, I take it everyone enjoyed our little detour?" Sadahiro asked as he, Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi boarded the limousine. However, the three teenagers were all quiet, and his eyes widened when he remembered why. "Oh, my apologies! All of you came from Nishitōkyō, I nearly forgot that!"

"It's okay, Hashimoto-san..." replied Takahashi, almost inaudibly.

"Oh." The businessman smiled slightly. "It's good to hear your apology." He then turned to the chauffeur. "Start driving."

The man nodded back to his employer before starting the limousine's engine. Takahashi stared out of the window, and though the glass was blacked out with tint, he could distinctly hear the crowd of reporters trying to shout questions at Sadahiro, their photographers frantically snapping pictures with their cameras by the seconds as Japanese police officers held them back from the vehicle. He couldn't see a single thing through these tinted windows...

Now that he was looking at the window, the teenager began to wonder on how Chouko thought of these windows, never seeing through them and into the outside...

Takahashi blinked in shock. _"Wait a minute,"_ he thought,_ "why am I thinking about Chouko?..."_

He suddenly felt himself lurching backward slightly, for the limousine had begun to drive away from the crime scene. With a relieved sigh, Takahashi then stared over at Sadahiro, who in turn was looking down at his lap as he was twiddling his fingers. For some reason, the compassionate and heartbroken expression that previously was etched on his face while speaking to the reporters was now gone from his face, replaced with a more serious and somewhat angered expression. While Takahashi felt that it was because he was trying to formulate a way to assist in the manhunt for the cultists...he couldn't help but feel a dark aura around that new expression...

Then, he looked away, just as Sadahiro suddenly looked up at him.

"Is everything alright, Takahashi?" he asked.

"Hm?" The boy looked back at the businessman and smiled at him innocently. "I'm fine. Everything's fine. Thanks for asking, Hashimoto-san."

"Have you managed to contact your mother?"

Takahashi's eyes widened in surprise. "How-How'd you know about-?"

"That?" completed Sadahiro. He closed his eyes and grinned slightly. "Call it a hunch, since we're in your hometown." He opened his eyes. "I know you feel extremely alarmed by the presence of the cult in Nishitōkyō. It must certainly be frightening to know the only family you have left is in close proximity to these madmen." Then, his grin faded. "Indeed, frightening. I understand if you feel those feelings." He looked at Kimiko and Hasumi. "All of you. But remember, we must stay strong. These malevolent cultists feed off from fear itself. If we are frightened by the very implication of their presence, then they've already won. Remember, strength is key."

"Strength is key..." Takahashi repeated. No one noticed Kimiko purse her lips.

"Yes, strength. Fear allows the enemy to triumph, for they embrace fear. _Never_ be afraid, even within the inside. Even an ounce of fear can prove to be your ultimate disadvantage when in any situation. Detach yourself from that primal emotion. That way, you will legitimately be able to demonstrate no weakness, and therefore you will triumph against the enemy in the end." He closed his eyes again as a wider grin appeared. "It's a philosophy I live by, and it has served me very well."

Takahashi blinked as he took in Sadahiro's words of advice. He realized that the businessman was right. The cult was obviously discarding the corpses of their victims in such public places just so they could draw out the innermost feelings of fear from the masses. If people showed the cult no fear at all, then the cult would no doubt be deterred by such behavior they viewed as disgusting and foreign. He couldn't believe he was this frightened when it was all this obvious!

"Yeah," the boy replied. "_Yeah_... You're right..."

However, Kimiko and Hasumi merely stared at Sadahiro in disapproval.

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor Family Room  
** **Hashimoto Manor**

"Yeah, I heard the news all right," Naotatsu replied on the phone as Kimiko listened. "It's very scary, knowing those cultists are in our hometown..."

"Tell me about it," Kimiko said, closing her eyes. "It's a good thing you and the others weren't the victims. A shame for all those families, though..."

"Yeah. You know, the people living on your street are getting all riled up. Everyone's _scared_..."

Kimiko's eyes narrowed. "Yeah... Speaking of which, can you imagine what that bastard Hashimoto told me about it?!"

"What? What'd the guy tell you, Kimiko?"

A grunt of disapproval escaped from Kimiko's mouth as she recalled Sadahiro's words. Then, she recited in a hateful tone, "Fear allows the enemy to triumph, for they embrace fear. _Never_ be afraid, even within the inside." She paused. "Even an ounce of fear can prove to be your ultimate disadvantage when in any situation. Detach yourself from that primal emotion. That way, you will legitimately be able to demonstrate no weakness, and therefore you will triumph against the enemy in the end."

There was silence on the other end for a brief moment. Kimiko almost wondered if Naotatsu had somehow disappeared...or worse...

To her relief, he replied, "Wait, were those his exact words?"

"Yep."

"Should've known." Naotatsu paused for a minute again. "Speaking of Hashimoto, were you able to get anywhere with finding something poisonous about him?"

Kimiko remembered her scheduled meeting with Toro and sneered. "I've gotten myself a really interesting development over here... And it's really good too..."

"Really? You've actually gotten somewhere with this? Heh. I wouldn't have expected this-"

"Are you saying you never had any faith in me?!" interrupted Kimiko angrily.

"No, no, I wasn't judging you or anything! I was just voicing my surprise that you were able to find something so quickly. So, what'd you find?"

"I actually don't know yet. But Hashimoto's secretary, Toro-san, knows something and she's scheduled a secret meeting with me tomorrow. That'll be when she'll tell me of whatever dark secret the bastard's hiding." Her sneer widened. "And then, I'll use that information to ruin him good..."

"Wait, I thought this was about protesting against his company's treatment of the cult story?"

"Well, it is definitely more than that now!" Kimiko snapped angrily. "Whatever Toro-san wants to give me, it's probably something really bad. I mean, there's gotta be no other reason as to why she wants us to meet up in secret!" She put an index finger on her chin. "Probably because Hashimoto is involved in some big government conspiracy. Maybe one involving the entire Japanese government, or maybe even many other countries outside of Japan-"

"You're probably looking into this WAY too much, Kimmie," interrupted Naotatsu.

"Yeah, yeah, you're probably right..." Kimiko sighed. "I do know that I stumbled onto something big..." She looked around to see if anyone was eavesdropping on her phone call. "Anyway, I gotta go. I've got work to do. Tell my dad, Tamika, and Kaisei that I say hi, and make sure Naomi isn't playing those video games of hers."

"Alright, Kimmie. I'll be sure to do that."

"Oh, and how's the rest of the gang?"

"They're doing fine. Except for that new girl, Yui, I think her name was."

"Yumie," corrected Kimiko. "What about her?"

"Well, she's having trouble adjusting to the group. I mean, everyone's trying to be nice to her, but all she ever does as a response is nothing more than a squeak."

Kimiko rolled her eyes. "You've always been the charmer of the group, Naotatsu-kun. Ever thought about making her your friend? It's always helps."

"Heh heh, yeah, I forgot that. I'll be sure to do that when I have the chance. Oh, and Kimmie?"

"Yeah, Naotatsu-kun?"

"You..." He hesitated for a moment. "You be careful, alright Kimmie? Maybe you _did_ stumble across a big government conspiracy."

The magenta-haired teenager chuckled. "Yeah, I'll be careful. Don't worry, Naotatsu-kun. I'll have this handled as fast as I can."

"Okay. If you say so."

"I will, okay?!" Kimiko then glanced at the clock. "Oh, I gotta go! Lunch is almost ready and I've gotta be there!"

"Alright. Bye, Kimmie."

"Bye." With that, the teenage girl hung up the phone before rushing into the kitchen.

* * *

"The nerve of that guy!" snapped Hasumi as she violently threw her shoes down on the floor. "Detach yourself from _fear_? What does he think we are, robots?!"

"Whoa, whoa, Hasumi!" Takahashi cried, raising his hands as he followed Hasumi into a living room. "Chill!"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CHILL, ARATA!" Hasumi's eyes widened when she realized she had frightened Takahashi. She looked down at the floor sorrowfully. "Oh, I'm sorry, Arata. I didn't mean to lash out at you like that. It's just... It's just that I can't believe any of the things Hashimoto is _telling_ us..."

Takahashi took a step closer to his friend. "He's got a point, you know, Hasumi."

The pink-haired girl's eyes widened, and she twirled around. A look of confusion and..._disappointment_...was on her face.

"What?" she asked.

"It's just like what he said. Fear is what makes these cult guys strong. If everyone continues to be afraid, then those guys have already won the fight. They shall take advantage of that, and we'll all pay the price because of it. However, if we set aside all our feelings of fear and insecurity, and show these guys that we're not afraid of them, then they _will_ be deterred! For all we know, they may stop killing altogether!" Takahashi put a finger to his chin as he began to ponder. "Man, Hashimoto-sensei probably should've made a speech like that back at the crime scene in Nishitōkyō. I probably should tell him that-"

"You actually _believe_ that jerk's words?" interrupted Hasumi, her face entirely red.

"Well, what would _you_ do if one of those cultists got to you and you had no other way out? Would you die crying, or would you rather die fighting?"

"Of course I'd die fighting." She crossed her arms. "But why do you think the idea of fighting came to my mind in the first place?"

"Because you want to survive."

"And why do you think I want to survive?"

Takahashi shrugged. "Because...life is precious? Come on, Hasumi, if you fight back against one of those crazy cultists, that must mean you have guts!"

"Of course I've got guts! But I only have the guts to fight back because I don't wanna die. Especially at the hands of a madman like him."

"Like I said. You want to survive."

"Because I'm afraid to die, Arata!"

Takahashi's eyes widened in surprise. In all of his life, he had never heard Hasumi sound so serious before, even if it concerned her music or her band. He didn't know why she was acting that way. However, as he looked into her red eyes, both of which were now shimmering strongly with emotion, he could tell he had touched a real personal nerve somewhere inside that tough exterior he knew. Now, he couldn't help but regret ever commenting on her criticism against Sadahiro.

"Hasumi-" he began.

"Oh, don't you Hasumi me, Arata!" snapped the pink-haired girl, cutting him off. After pausing for a moment, she continued, calmly this time, "You know, Arata, when I was thirteen, my life changed. For the worse." Her voice started to tremble as a dark, unknown memory returned to her mind. "My mom died of cancer."

"Your mom?" Takahashi asked. "I met your mom before-"

"That wasn't my biological mom. My dad remarried a couple of years back. She's not my real mom. The one I lost when I was thirteen...that was my mom..." Hasumi stepped closer to Takahashi, startling him as she looked deeply into his eyes. "When my mom died, so did all the hope I had in my life. My mom could've been saved, but her doctors never noticed the symptoms until it was too late. And now, I was left with a dad who'd either away be at work or trying to find what I believed to be a poor replacement of a mom. I did not have any friends at school, and there was no one else I could turn to. I..." Her eyes softened. "I used to cut myself often..."

"Hasumi!" exclaimed the redheaded boy. He couldn't believe he was hearing this from Hasumi, the tough yet kindhearted and upbeat girl he was infatuated with.

The girl raised both of her arms so Takahashi could see them. For the first time in his life, he noticed the unusually long and thick cuffs wrapped around her wrists. He always thought they were for show, since she and her band-mates had always been trying out clothing designs for their band. But now, from what he just heard...

"These cuffs hide all the scars I inflicted on myself." Hasumi lowered her arms, her cheeks red. "All the times I watched the blood trickle from me, in small doses, and wonder what would happen if the cuts were a bit more deeper. I thought that if I died already, I'd be at peace. I'd probably see my mom again. Sure, I would've been leaving my dad, who I still loved, but I never understood his happiness at the time. Back then, I only found happiness in death. I felt that would have been happy, so happy." Suddenly, a small grin appeared on her face. "Then, during the summer before I entered high school, I found another source of happiness."

"Music," Takahashi replied.

Hasumi nodded in response. "Yeah. I met Masako during my first day in high school. She was playing her guitar alone on the rooftop while I listened down below. She was wonderful. No one else listened to the music but me. I kept listening to her performing solo for a couple of weeks, all the while awestruck.

"Then, one day, she finally noticed me and invited me up to the rooftop." She smiled as she fondly recalled the happy memory. "She learned about my mom and told me how her older sister committed suicide when she was a child. And then, she told me how music became the source of her happiness. I found myself agreeing with her, and from that moment on, we formed a pact that we knew could not be broken. We would form a band so we could provide our fanbase with an escape from the problems of their lives, just like it did with us. Then, we met Hitomi and Saori, and now, we got ourselves our band. A shame we can't think up of a name still.

"Anyway, every time I think about how I did these things to myself, I become terrified of what would've happened. Had I actually gone through with what I desired at the time, I would've been deprived of my second chance in life. I wouldn't have met you or Masako or Hitomi or Saori. I wouldn't have pursued my dream of getting a career in music. Most of all, I wouldn't have found true happiness in life." Her red eyes hardened. "And it is that fear of dying that helps me become brave, Arata.

"So, when you say it's because life is precious, Arata, you're right. Life _is_ precious. When it's being taken away, especially by someone who takes pleasure in pain, you become scared. And once you become scared, that is when you make that realization. Then, you have every reason to fight for your life with everything you've got.

"That's courage, Arata. As painful as it sounds, as much as it makes you look weak in the eyes of others, you can't have courage without fear."

Takahashi was shocked to hear all of this coming out of Hasumi's mouth. When he first met her, he'd always thought she was the type of person who was strong and no-nonsense all the way. No concern over any deep, personal, emotional stuff whatsoever. ...Now...all he could see standing in front of him was a sad, lonely middle-school girl, who didn't have anyone to rely on for help and comfort in the darkest time of her life... It was a very sad sight...

"Hasumi," he said, "I'm really sorry about all of this. I...I really am..."

"So..." replied Hasumi, her voice serious again, "are you convinced now on why I think Hashimoto's words are complete bull, Arata?"

"To be honest...I don't know who to believe anymore... You and Hashimoto seem to have good points..."

The pink-haired girl sighed heavily. "When the time comes, Arata, you will find out what I mean."

Then, she leaned her face closer towards his, and Takahashi felt his lips twitch instinctively. He actually thought she was going to kiss him.

Instead, Hasumi moved her lips close to his ear and whispered into it, "Thank you...for listening."

"Oh. Y-You're welcome." Takahashi smiled, no longer concerned if Hasumi kissed him right there or not. He was just glad she deemed him trustworthy enough to pour her personal details out to him. "So...uh...I assume you don't want me to tell anyone else about what you just told me?"

The girl smiled slightly as she pulled away. "Just don't tell Noriya. He's never been into sappy dramas of any kind. Surely he won't be able to handle a back-story like mine. He'd probably believe I'm emotionally and mentally unstable or something like that and break up with me on the spot."

Takahashi frowned upon hearing that name. _"Noriya..."_ he thought bitterly. Then, he said, "Hasumi, you should break up with him, then."

Hasumi raised an eyebrow. "And why should I? I love him."

"A romantic relationship is about both partners understanding and accepting each other, flaws and all. What happened to you in the past made you what you are right now." He crossed his arms. "If Noriya can't accept that fact about you, then he certainly doesn't care about you. All of you, that is."

The pink-haired teenager turned her back on Takahashi. "Just because I told you about one event in my personal life does not give you the right to poke around in my love life, Arata." She began walking away. "If Noriya finds out about this fact, whether or not it was from you, I can handle it myself."

Takahashi could only watch in disappointment as Hasumi continued to walk further away from him. Once she was gone, he hit his thigh in anger.

_"Damn it!"_ he thought. _"And I was so close too..."_

* * *

**Reserved Bedroom of Arata Takahashi  
Over an hour later**

It didn't take much longer for night to fall upon Hashimoto Manor. After finishing up his dinner and putting his plate away, Takahashi immediately traveled up the long staircase to his bedroom, pondering over the recent events he witnessed during the past day, and especially about what it took to be courageous. Did one have to feel fear first before feeling brave? Or must one have to set aside all feelings of fear and be brave on the outside and the inside? Didn't they sound pretty much the same?

He was confused...

Upon reaching the last of the stairs, Takahashi froze in his tracks. Standing right in front of him, apparently in wait for him, was...

"C-Ch-_Chouko_?!" the redhead stuttered.

"Thank you," the silver-haired girl replied.

Takahashi raised an eyebrow. "Thank you? Thank you for what?"

"For not reneging on your word..."

"My word?" Then, Takahashi remembered the conversation they had last night. "Oh, I remember. You're...You're welcome, I guess?..."

Chouko looked down at the floor softly. "When I first saw you, Arata Takahashi, I thought you wouldn't be an honest and trustworthy person, not even in the slightest. I had my doubts about sharing my secret with you. I didn't even think you would keep your orifice shut for over twenty-four hours." Takahashi grunted and narrowed his eyes at her for that remark, but she did not notice. "In fact, this morning, during breakfast, I thought you divulged my secret to my father. But-" She looked up at Takahashi, her golden eyes glimmering with an unknown emotion. "-it turns out I was mistaken. And you still haven't told my father, or anyone else."

"Well, to be honest..." Takahashi replied, but he paused. He was about to say that he forgot about their conversation last night, but he didn't want to provoke Chouko, especially before he was about to go to sleep. So, he smiled innocently. "It's no problem, Chouko. I'm glad I could be your confidant."

Chouko nodded and bowed at Takahashi. "Thank you, Arata Takahashi. I trust you will continue to keep your word."

"No problem," he replied hastily. "I'll continue to keep your secret held up within my brain to the grave! Just leave it to me!"

The girl nodded again before saying, "Now, would you mind stepping aside? I must go downstairs."

"Getting bossy, aren't we?..." Takahashi whispered to himself bitterly as he allowed Chouko to gown do the stairs. He was then about to go to his bedroom when...

_ **"That's courage, Arata. As painful as it sounds, as much as it makes you look weak in the eyes of others, you can't have courage without fear."** _

The redhead turned around. "Yo, Chouko?"

Chouko stopped and looked up at him. "What is it? My timing is precious, so please be quick."

"What do _you_ think courage is?" He didn't know why he was asking Chouko, of all people, her own opinion, but he decided to go along with it.

The girl was silent for a moment, then replied, "It depends on how much fear you have."

_"Well, isn't that specific?"_ Takahashi thought sarcastically. Then, he asked her, "What do you mean by that?"

"You will see..."

Takahashi growled angrily as Chouko continued traveling down the stairs. He knew he shouldn't have relied on her to answer such a question!

With a sigh of defeat, he twirled around when...

_A flurry of silver feathers..._

The redhead twirled around to look at Chouko. However, she had already finished going down the staircase and was out of sight. Upon realizing this, he scratched his head in confusion. He could've sworn a strange image of Chouko flashed across his mind... He remembered her wearing an odd school uniform in that image...

...And...wings were sprouting out of her back...

_"Crap,"_ snarled Takahashi in his thoughts. _"What the hell has been going on with my mind the past few days?! Those can't possibly be _memories_ I keep experiencing. I don't even _know_ these people! ...Wait a minute, why would I even _think _those images are memories? They could just be snippets of random-ass dreams I'm having for some stupid reason. Yeah, those have to be dreams. I've had strange dreams before. They never concerned me, and they certainly shouldn't be right now."_

With a grunt, he opened the door to his room, stepped inside, and closed the door behind him with an aggressive slam.

Takahashi always liked sleeping. But now, for some reason, he had no desire to do so. Not at all.

* * *

Upon hearing Takahashi slam his bedroom door shut, Chouko stopped dead in her tracks. An unknown force was compelling her to check on the red-haired boy again. However, as much as she appreciated him for keeping to his word and not sharing her..._their_ secret to her father, the girl still held him with some contempt. She could never view anyone as immature and impulsive as Arata Takahashi in a positive light. That was a concrete viewpoint too. One that she wouldn't change so easily. After all, that was why she gave him such a vague answer to the question he asked. She still couldn't afford to give him the benefit of the doubt.

So, she resumed walking...

_A cascade of glittering tears..._

Chouko aggressively shook her head to clear her mind as she continued walking.

* * *

**Unknown location**

_ **"We have arrived at the location, sir."** _

The man with the golden hood sneered as he began stroking the dead rabbit on his necklace again.

"Excellent," he replied. "Is everyone all set up?"

_ **"Yes. We are fully-armed and in position, sir, just awaiting the order."** _

"And we begin the next phase of the plan..." the hooded man whispered to himself, his evil sneer widening. Then, he ordered, "Do it. Remember the objective."

_ **"Yes, sir, will do."** _

* * *

**Reserved Bedroom of Arata Takahashi**

_ **KA-BOOM!** _

Just before Takahashi could get fully settled into his bed, he shot upward with a surprised shout at the moment he heard the noise of the explosion. It was apparently close or powerful enough to cause everything in his room to rattle and tremble, with some objects even falling over in the process.

"What the hell?!" he exclaimed. "What was that?!"

He got out of his bed, put on his slippers, and prepared to approach the door to his bedroom, intending to leave. However, before he can reach for the doorknob, the door suddenly swung open, once again surprising him and causing him to fall over. Looking up, he quickly recognized the panicked face of Junna. In the background, he could hear numerous loud banging noises sounding in the distance, along with what sounded like a mob screaming angrily, incomprehensibly.

"What the hell's going on?!" Takahashi shouted. "What was that explosion?!"

"We're under attack!" replied Junna, her eyes wide in fear.

The redhead's eyes widened in shock. "Wh-_What_?! By who?!"

"I do not know, but they already broke through the front gate and they are now trying to get into the mansion!" She looked back, apparently to see if the doors were knocked down already, then stretched out her hand. "Come with me, Arata-sama! We need to get you and the others to the panic room, posthaste!"

Takahashi wasted no time in grabbing Junna's hand. The maid helped him up to his feet, then began guiding him down the staircase. There, he spotted the front door, which he noticed was buckling under the weight of something smashing against it repeatedly, like a battering ram. As Junna redirected him to the nearest living room, he could hear the unidentified attackers outside shouting things along the lines of "WE'RE COMING FOR YOU, HASHIMOTO!" and "YOU WILL PAY FOR INSULTING US!"

* * *

**Outside Hashimoto Manor**

Fuyuhiko Ezakiya stood by the outer perimeter of Hashimoto Manor, watching as a small crowd of people swarmed around the mansion walls. They were aggressively breaking out the windows and smashing homemade battering rams against the doors, all in attempts to gain entry to the building. Snickering to himself at the sights of all the chaos, the boy sneaked past the totaled gate and into the garden, hiding in the confines of the darkness as he watched his idols continue to wreak havoc.

"Yes, that's right, baby," he whispered to himself maliciously. "Burn that baby down..."

He then spotted some strange movement at the corner of his eye. Glancing up at a window on the upper floor, he saw a hint of silver strands retreating...

His grin widened even further, and he chuckled sadistically.

"This oughta be _very_ interesting..."

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor Living Room**

"So..." Takahashi said, looking around in the living room, "where _exactly_ is this panic room, Junna-san?"

"Over here, Arata-sama!" exclaimed Junna as she approached a small golden statue sitting on a simple wooden table located beside the fireplace. At first, Takahashi was confused about why she would approach such an item, but when a window burst open with a crash and an unknown object suddenly burst into flames, engulfing a nicely-decorated curtain, he didn't ask twice and ran up to the maid. Once he did, she pushed the statue downward into the table.

"What in the world?..." the boy asked, seconds before the fireplace began to slowly open up with a mechanical grind. His eyes bulged wide. "WHOA! **COOL!**"

As the fireplace continued to open up, a group of four people joined Takahashi and Junna. The redheaded boy recognized them as Chouko, Fuuta, and two maids.

"Interesting," remarked Chouko. "This is the first time the Hashimoto family has ever had to _use_ the panic room..."

"Must we be _logical_ even in the face of death, Chouko?!" Fuuta shouted, dissatisfied by her factual comment.

"The _Kū_!"

Everyone turned towards the broken window, and staring through it was a hooded man. The bright, raging flames illuminated his face, and especially his wide eyes.

"The _Kū_!" he shouted again, pointing at Chouko. "Everyone! It's the _Kū_!"

"What?!" another man cried. "Did you just say _Kū_? Where? Where?!"

"There!"

Several other men gathered around the broken window. Just like the first man, their eyes widened, and some of them even began crying.

"It's the _Kū_!" they all roared.

"Uh..._what_?..." Fuuta asked, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"I've got no idea..." replied Takahashi, equally puzzled.

"I do not like their tone of these men," Chouko said, though her voice was calm. "Quick, into the panic room, everyone."

Everyone dashed into the now-completely-open fireplace, where Takahashi saw Kimiko, Hasumi, Sadahiro, and several butlers and maids. Chouko looked around.

"Wait a minute," she said, "where's Mother?"

"She should've been retrieved by now," replied Sadahiro. "I don't know what's wrong..."

Suddenly, the group heard more glass shattering, and this time, the voices clamoring outside seemed to be pouring inside. Junna's eyes widened in horror.

"They breached the mansion!" she cried. Indeed, everyone could see dozens of hooded people entering the living room, holding torches and bladed weapons.

"SEAL THE PANIC ROOM, JUNNA-SAN!" ordered Sadahiro.

"BUT WHAT ABOUT-?" Junna began.

"THAT'S AN ORDER!"

Not wanting to argue with her superior any further, Junna pressed a red button located next to the doorway. To Chouko's shock, the fireplace began to close.

"NO!" she cried. "What about Mother, Father?!"

"We must think about ourselves and our well-being right now, Chouko!" Sadahiro replied sternly. "We can only pray she somehow made it out of here safely..."

"NO!" one of the men roared. "WE MUST GET HER! WE MUST GET THE _KU_!"

The men charged forward towards the fireplace, their weapons ready, but by the time they could reach it, it was too late. The fireplace closed with a deafeningly loud clang before any of them could enter the room. The entire group, except for Chouko, breathed sighs of relief as they heard the men roar and snarl in anger, followed by a loud shattering noise, more flames, and something wooden collapsing. Hasumi immediately collapsed on one of the panic room's seats.

"My God..." she whispered. "My _God_... It was those cultists, wasn't it? There's no way it had to be anyone else. ...We nearly got _murdered_ by them..."

"At least we're safe, Hasumi," said Kimiko comfortingly. "We're alive, and that's all that matters-"

"But now they know what we look like! And we saw their faces!" She buried her face in her palms. "No doubt they will try to hunt us all down and kill us to cover their tracks!" Then, she gasped and looked up at Kimiko. "Oh, no... And maybe our loved ones too! Oh my God, oh my God, OH MY GOD!"

"Stay calm, Itagaki," Sadahiro said suddenly, his voice calm and collected. "We must not afford our emotions to conflict with our instinct to survive."

"Says you! You don't seem bothered at all by the potential loss of your WIFE, and Chouko's MOTHER, for God's sake! What kind of person reacts like that?!"

"Hey, hey, come on now, Hasumi-" began Takahashi, but Sadahiro gestured towards him to keep silent.

"It's okay, Takahashi. Her emotions, and her reaction are completely understandable, and for that, I forgive her words. However, my point still stands. We must divert our attention to more pressing matters." He approached the opposite end of the panic room and pressed a green button, which caused the wall to slowly open. "Such as making a getaway. This tunnel leads to an abandoned shed on some property the Hashimoto family owns. I called the police before the cultists attacked, so there's units waiting for us there to retrieve us." He stepped into the tunnel before looking back at the others. "Come on, everyone. We do not have any more time to waste."

Realizing there was no other viable option, Takahashi wordlessly stepped into the tunnel with Sadahiro, followed by Kimiko, then Hasumi, then the others. Finally, the last one to remain in the panic room was Chouko. The silver-haired teenage girl was still staring at the first doorway of the panic room, a sad expression on her face.

"Chouko, come," Sadahiro called sternly. "We must not think about your mother right now. She would want you to flee for your life."

Chouko remained silent and still. Realizing she wasn't going to move, Takahashi stepped out of the hallway and grabbed her hand, catching her attention.

"Come on, Chouko," he said gently. "We have to get out of here."

She looked at his hand as it clutched hers, then looked back up at him. Seeing the emotion glimmering in his soft eyes, she exhaled softly and gripped his hand back.

* * *

**Outside Hashimoto Manor**

Fuyuhiko watched gleefully as the cultists continued to shatter windows and set the mansion on fire. Strands of drool were dangling from the corners of his lips as he watched the horrific scene unfold in front of him. As soon as one strand of drool fell from his lips and onto the ground, he licked his lips and began to snicker evilly.

He prepared to move his position so he could get a better view of the right wing of the mansion, which was completely set ablaze. However, he stopped as soon as his knee bumped into something. Looking down, he saw a portion of a pipe sticking out from the earth, which partially read 'HASHIMOTO'. He could see more portions of the pipe sticking out in other different areas of the ground, all in some sort of line. His eyes narrowed at the pipe.

"Hmmm..." he whispered, smirking malevolently. "I wonder..."

Then, something glinted at the corner of his eye. He glared at that direction, and noticed a long knife and a hammer, likely discarded by a cultist on accident.

* * *

**An abandoned shed  
** **On Hashimoto-owned property**

"Here we are, ladies and gentlemen..." Sadahiro announced. He opened up the wooden trapdoor coated with cobwebs, revealing a rundown wooden ceiling. Everyone walked up a creaky staircase and looked around, noticing the walls were covered with rusty iron sheets and had absolutely nothing else.

"What a shed," remarked Takahashi, just before he nearly bumped into a hanging strand of cobweb and flinched at the sight of it.

"Well, we obviously didn't want our exit route to be conspicuous. But don't worry, it is not as if the shed will collapse on us at any moment."

"That's a relief..." Kimiko whispered to herself sarcastically. Then, she noticed Chouko, who still looked glum. "Are you okay, Chouko?"

"Yes, I am," she replied. "Thank you for your sincere concern, Nishimura."

"So, what do we do now?" Hasumi asked as she looked around, examining the shed. "Where do we exit this place?"

"Right here..." Hashimoto approached a well-hidden door and opened it.

A second later, a gray blur flew, and Sadahiro collapsed to the ground with a grunt. Blood streaked across his forehead and dripped on the ground. Hasumi and Junna both screamed, while Takahashi, Chouko, and Fuuta's skins paled. Two butlers tried to move forward to drag their superior away, but a blur of a person dashed inside the shed, violently swinging something that was glinting with the pale moonlight. Split-seconds later, both butlers fell to the ground with screams of pain; one of them was holding his stomach as blood trickled through his fingers, while the other was already putting pressure on his neck as blood flowed through his fingers like a river.

Hasumi screamed again, to which the attacker stopped moving. He was a teenage boy with black hair that fell over his beady black eyes, casting them in shadow, and blood was streaked across his plain tan T-shirt and dripping onto his torn blue jeans. In his right hand was a bloody long knife, in his left a hammer.

"Hello there," he greeted, his lips curving into a twisted grin. "You know, for a good escape route, you guys were downright stupid for keeping parts of the tunnel you used exposed. Followed it right here." He flipped his knife upside-down as Takahashi, Chouko, and Kimiko eyed it warily. "Too bad the cultists didn't notice... But when I kill you, all of you, and show your dead bodies to them, maybe, just maybe they'll _finally_ induct me into their group! And I can find the answer I've been seeking for such a damn long time! I, Fuyuhiko Ezakiya, will become one with the supreme deity and be cleansed of my sins! HAHAHA!"

"You're CRAZY!" Fuuta shouted.

Fuyuhiko raised an eyebrow, still grinning. "Am I?"

He charged past Hasumi and clubbed Fuuta in the head with the hammer, knocking him out. Chouko's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't exhibit any other reaction. As for Takahashi, he growled angrily and tore off a loose stick of wood from the dilapidated wall, swinging it at Fuyuhiko but missing.

"RUN!" he shouted. "RUN, EVERYONE, WHILE I HOLD HIM OFF!"

"Oh, really?" Fuyuhiko asked. "I'd LOVE to see ya try..."

He swung his hammer, hitting Takahashi's weapon but failing to break it. Junna seized this chance to reopen the trapdoor and escort the remaining butlers and maids inside the tunnel. She then tried to make her way to Fuuta's unconscious body, but Fuyuhiko noticed and swung his knife at her, forcing her to back off. Unfortunately for Fuyuhiko, this distracted him long enough for Takahashi to swing his stick down on his right arm, causing him to drop the knife.

**"RUN!"** he roared at Chouko and Kimiko.

"Takahashi-" began Kimiko.

**"I SAID RUN!"**

Suddenly, he felt something hard hit his head at a high speed, and the world began spinning in front of him. He collapsed on the ground, dropping his stick. He could vaguely hear Fuyuhiko giggling maniacally, which then escalated into mad laughter. The laughter was growing closer and closer...

"TAKAHASHI!" he heard Kimiko and Hasumi scream at once.

Takahashi knew then and there that he was going to die...

Then, he heard Fuyuhiko issue a loud grunt of surprise, along with Chouko grunting and panting aggressively. Regaining his sense of balance, the redheaded teenage boy groaned and inched his head upward, and he saw the silver-haired girl wrestling with Fuyuhiko over control of the hammer. Nearby, Junna had dragged her son's form back to the safety of the tunnel and was now going over to Sadahiro. Takahashi tried to stand up, but was still feeling slightly disoriented from the blow.

After a couple of minutes of struggling, Chouko finally managed to wrestle the hammer away from Fuyuhiko's grip. Takahashi expected her to incapacitate him with it, but to his complete anguish, she merely threw it to the other side of the room. Fuyuhiko angrily punched her, causing her to fall off him. He then stood up and kicked her on the side, causing Takahashi to wince as soon as she cried out in pain. Then, he went over to the fallen knife and picked it up.

Takahashi's eyes widened in horror as Fuyuhiko cleaned his knife before stalking towards Chouko, his knife glinting.

"No..." the redhead moaned. "No, no, no... Don't hurt her... Don't you _dare_ hurt her..."

"Don't worry," replied Fuyuhiko, grinning sadistically. "I'm not gonna hurt her..._much_..."

"No, no, no, no, _no_... No, get away from her, _now_... No... Stop it...stop it..."

Chouko, still reeling from the blows she received, looked up at Fuyuhiko as he continued to advance on her. Takahashi could see the fear in her golden eyes.

"No," he groaned. "No, no, no, stop it, stop it... Get away from her, get away from her now, you sick bastard! Stop it! No! No, no, NO!"

Fuyuhiko knelt down towards Chouko and began stroking her silver hair. His grin was still in place as he raised his knife.

"NO! STOP! **NO!**" Then, Takahashi hollered, "KANADE!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	10. Skins Shed, Part 2 of 2

**CHAPTER 9: SKINS SHED, PART 2 OF 2**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

* * *

**April 27, 2026**

* * *

**An abandoned shed  
On Hashimoto-owned property**

"NO! STOP! **NO!** KANADE!"

Fuyuhiko cackled madly as he swung the knife down, aiming for Chouko's neck. The silver-haired girl gathered enough strength to move her head a few inches away; the glinting blade narrowly missed her neck and stabbed itself into the wooden floor. Chouko's eyes widened upon recognizing this fact.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed the insane teenager as he tried to yank the knife out of the wooden board.

Looking at Chouko desperately, Takahashi almost expected her to take this advantage to kick Fuyuhiko, or at the very least run while she still could. However, she was as still as a statue, no doubt paralyzed with fear. Her golden eyes were still glued on the shining blade, which was still sitting dangerously close to her neck; her pupils were trembling violently. Takahashi couldn't believe he was actually seeing Chouko being terrified beyond all measure...

He wished he could help her, but he still felt weak, still disoriented...

"CHOUKO!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "HURRY, RUN!"

However, it was too late: Fuyuhiko managed to yank the knife loose from the wooden floor. He then looked at Takahashi with a disappointed frown.

"Awwwww, the guy sticks up for his girl," he said mockingly. "How cute." He then stood up and approached the redheaded boy. "You know, it is a real shame you ain't enjoying the show." Then, he knelt down beside Takahashi and began stroking his hair, causing him to shiver. "Hey, ya wanna know what _really_ grinds my gears? Hm? Whenever people don't enjoy the show. I mean, if you don't enjoy it, then why bother wasting your time to watch something that obviously won't impress you?"

"You're...goddamn..._insane_..." breathed Takahashi in complete revulsion.

Fuyuhiko blinked twice, comprehending the response. Then, he raised his knife and slashed Takahashi's right arm with a quick stroke, drawing a pained scream.

"Like, duh man," Fuyuhiko said calmly. "That's _so_ old news- OOF!"

He collapsed on top of Takahashi, groaning softly. The redhead inched his head up and saw Kimiko standing over him, holding Fuyuhiko's abandoned hammer.

"Are you okay, Takahashi?!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah...I think..."

Suddenly, Fuyuhiko sprung up with a savage yell, his knife raised. Kimiko screamed in terror and wildly swung the hammer at him again, knocking the insane teenage boy back down to the ground. She then seized this opportunity to kick the knife out of Fuyuhiko's hand. The girl watched as the weapon skittered across the floor and fell into a large gap between the wooden boards. Fuyuhiko growled in surprise, scrambled away from Kimiko, and stood up.

"You're gonna pay for this!" he snarled in a hoarse voice as he clutched the part of his chest that Kimiko struck. "You really are gonna! I promise you that!"

He then dashed past Kimiko as fast as he could before she could swing at him again and was close to passing the still-fallen Chouko as well. Takahashi hoped she'd be more tactical this time and trip Fuyuhiko before he could make his escape, but to his dismay, she didn't. Instead, the silver-haired girl watched him flee the shed.

"CHOUKO!" Kimiko snapped angrily in Takahashi's place. "WHY IN GOD'S NAME DIDN'T YOU STOP HIM?!"

However, Chouko didn't respond. Instead, she looked at the hole in the wooden board, left behind by the knife that nearly took her life.

* * *

**Outside the shed**

"That accursed girl... She really _will_ pay for interfering..."

Fuyuhiko panted as he continued running away from the shed's location, despite knowing no one was following him. He could hear police sirens in the distance and he knew one of the survivors of his attack had managed to contact the authorities. This definitely wasn't going the way he had planned it to go...

And it was all because of that stupid magenta-haired girl. He had been hoping she'd be another one of those girls, just there to be cute and easy to break, but it was obvious to him that that wasn't the case. Oh, he really _was_ gonna get her back for this, and in the worst, most inhumane way possible...

He finally stopped running and sneered deviously as he began imagining all of the possible scenarios. Oh, how he couldn't wait for the day...

* * *

**Nishitōkyōchūō General Hospital  
** **Nishitōkyō, Japan** **  
Sometime later**

_ **"Yuzuru..."** _

_ **"Kanade...I love you. Let's stay together forever."** _

_ **"Yes. Thank you, Yuzuru."** _

_ **"** _ _ **Let's stay together forever and ever, okay?"** _

_ **"...Okay. Thank you."** _

_ **"I love you, Kanade!"** _

_ **"Right, thank you so much."** _

_ **"Kanade!"** _

_ **"Thank you for loving me."** _

_ **"Please don't pass on, Kanade! Kanade!"** _

_ **"Truly, deeply...thank you for giving...my life to me."** _

_ **"...Kanade... KANADEEEEEEEEEE!"** _

"AAAGGGHHH!"

Takahashi shot up on his bed, prepared to lash out at anything that was potentially around him. However, he stopped upon realizing he was no longer inside the shed. Instead, he was sitting in a bed situated inside a hospital room. Looking around, examining his surroundings, the redheaded teenage boy noticed it was now daytime, with golden rays of sunlight seeping through the drawn blinds. Outside, there were voices speaking, though they were muffled into incomprehensibility by the walls.

Realizing he was now safe from Fuyuhiko's madness, Takahashi leaned back on the bed, pondering about the dream he just had.

He only remembered the dialogue that was spoken and nothing else, though he had the impression that he had just hugged someone...tightly so, as if he didn't want to let go of this person. What was the name again? ...Yes, Kanade. For some reason, that name struck a chord of familiarity to him...

_"...Yes, that's right,"_ he thought. _"I called Chouko by that name. But why the hell would I do that? I don't know anyone by the name of Kanade. Hell, why would I be even thinking about the names Yuzuru and Kanade? Who were those people anyway? It sounded like they were a couple, that was for sure. Maybe a couple that was in the process of breaking up, perhaps? And that Yuzuru guy was the one who didn't like it. ...Goddamn it, where would I meet such people anyway?! I haven't!"_

"Takahashi?..." a voice asked.

Takahashi came to full attention as he watched a head of silver hair peek into his room.

"Oh, hey Chouko..." he greeted, waving weakly.

Chouko stepped into the room, her hands behind her back. She examined Takahashi's form from head to toe, then exhaled, seemingly in relief.

"It is good to see you have recovered from your injuries," she said.

For the first time, Takahashi registered the bandages wrapped around his head and arm. Looking at his arm, he then shrugged dismissively.

"Well, there's no way Arata Takahashi would go down without a fight," he replied. "No way."

He was surprised the moment a slight, almost unnoticeable smile crept onto Chouko's face.

"That's good to hear your mind is still intact as well."

Takahashi's eyes narrowed. "I...I'm not sure if that was meant as a compliment or not..."

"Rest assured, Takahashi, it was a compliment indeed."

"Oh, well that's great...I guess." Takahashi looked down for a moment. Then, he asked, "What happened to the others?"

"The others? Well, Father and Fuuta are still unconscious, but they're both going to be alright. The blows they got were not all that lethal, only enough to render them unconscious. One of the butlers who were stabbed will also make it. The other butler, Kobayashi, didn't, however. Such...Such a tragedy..."

Chouko suddenly hesitated for a moment. Takahashi sensed she was inwardly grieving the loss of one of her employees, and decided to break the growing tension.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Hm?" Chouko looked back up at him. "I am not following you, Takahashi-"

"I mean, you got a bit of a beating. I was asking if you're feeling okay."

"Oh, I am quite fine, thank you very much." The slight smile returned to the girl's face, though it looked forced. "Quite fine indeed."

"Oh. ...Did...Did the police find your mother?..."

Chouko's face paled as she replied, "No. No, they haven't... The fire destroyed half of Hashimoto Manor, including Mother's bedroom... They didn't even find a body..."

"Hey, that's a good sign, right? If the police didn't find your mother, then that means she must still be out there!"

"Most likely in the clutches of the cult..." The silver-haired girl looked down at the floor, downcast. "This is no doubt retaliation..."

"Retaliation?" Takahashi raised an eyebrow. "Retaliation for what?"

"Father said twice that he and the company were going to assist in the investigation and manhunt for the cultists. And...he degraded them...on live television..."

Realizing where she was going at, Takahashi concluded, "They must've seen those live press conferences and were pissed at your dad's choice of words for them."

Chouko blinked. "A crude way of putting it, but yes. Yes, they seek retribution. ...And for as long as Father continues to breathe, the Hashimoto family isn't safe..."

"Do the police have a game-plan for this in mind?" asked Takahashi, his concern for the escalating situation growing.

"Not as far as I could deduce. I'm confident they are awaiting Father to regain consciousness before they give us any details on what they plan to do to us..." Chouko suddenly looked away from Takahashi. "I sincerely apologize, Takahashi. My family name has dragged you and your friends into this debauchery. As much as I dislike you-" Takahashi's face became deadpan at that remark. "-you do not deserve any of this. You or any of your friends. I apologize for my father...and for myself."

"It's okay, Chouko," Takahashi replied. "There was no way of knowing Kimiko, Hasumi, and I would get involved in this cruddy situation. I mean, the three of us were selected to join the program before the cultists even started spreading into Nishitōkyō. None of us saw that coming."

"And yet, you got hurt."

"Aw, these injuries?... Eh, they're nothing to be honest, Chouko." The redhead smiled slightly. "You don't have to worry about me, I'm fine." He then noticed Chouko's expression, which still radiated an air of concern. "I swear, I am! I swear, there's really no need to be serious all of the time."

Chouko's frown became even more pronounced. "But this is a serious situation, Takahashi. You can't just look at it with a sincere, optimistic smile."

"But we're not being attacked by the cultists now, are we?"

"...No..."

"I thought so."

Takahashi then slowly began to slide out of his bed, still wearing his hospital gown and bandages. He tried his best to not wince at the soft stinging sensation that was prickling at his wounds. He might not like Chouko that much but it was a bit of a unique occurrence to see her reduced to such a vulnerable position. And who knows? Maybe he could take advantage of the memory for his own benefit in the future, probably to blackmail her into doing his bidding...

...For some reason, that thought unsettled him now.

"Takahashi?" Chouko piped up, catching the redhead's attention.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"When I was being attacked by that Ezakiya fellow, you said something peculiar." The girl began fidgeting with her foot. "What...What did you call me?"

"Hm?" Takahashi arched an eyebrow in confusion. "I-I called you Chouko, just how you'd like it."

"Well, I could've sworn you called me by a different name."

Takahashi knew that was true. But knowing Chouko, he would probably be told off by her again, and he wasn't in the mood for that (after all, he just got up after God knows how much time has passed), so he decided to lie. Besides, he didn't really want to write himself off as possibly deranged in the heiress's eyes.

"Now why would I do that?"

The two stared at each other for the longest time, neither of them saying a word. Takahashi could feel the awkwardness hanging in the atmosphere, and he was even sweating a little. Chouko wasn't faring any better; there was a faint blush on her cheeks, and the color was intensifying by the minute.

_"I gotta admit,"_ he thought, _"Chouko looks cute when she's embarrassed..."_ Seconds later, he mentally shuddered at the thought.

Finally, the Hashimoto heiress replied, a bit quickly so, "I do not know. It is highly probable that I misheard."

"Yeah, you probably did," he said. "I mean, you were almost about to die-" He saw Chouko's blush vanish in an instant, replaced by paling skin. "Oh, I'm sorry-"

"No, it's okay."

"No, no, I really shouldn't have said that." Takahashi began rubbing his head with his uninjured arm in embarrassment. "I, uh, I probably should shut up."

"And I probably should make my leave now."

The redheaded teenage boy could only watch in regret as Chouko began to walk out of the room, her skin now paler than her silver hair. Once she had her back facing his direction, he was surprised to see a small bouquet of beautiful sunflowers clutched tightly in her hand...which he realized had been tucked behind her back for the whole duration of their conversation. He hoped to say something about them, but it was too late: the door closed behind Chouko, leaving him all alone.

_"...Well...this week just keeps getting weirder and weirder by the minute..."_

* * *

**_"NO! STOP! _NO!_ KANADE!"_**

Chouko stopped in the middle of the hallway after replaying Takahashi's scream of concern in her mind for the umpteenth time. She knew Takahashi's answer was not that honest. The question of whether or not he was intentionally lying or simply forgot the event was the problem though. She was inclined to believe the latter; after all, he had been struck in the head by a hammer, and surely that was bound to induce some partial amnesia.

However, his reaction to her question... It suggested otherwise...

She finally pulled her arms away from her back and looked at the bouquet of sunflowers she bought.

The girl remembered seeing them at the hospital's flower shop and becoming captivated by their beauty. It was the last bouquet of its kind in the shop, so she bought it for free, since the florist recognized her as the daughter of Sadahiro Hashimoto and made her exempt from payments. Chouko intended to leave the bouquet at her father's bedside, but she found herself visiting Takahashi's room instead, even hiding the flowers away from his sight, as if they were for him.

...Were they for him?

"Hey, Chouko-chan!"

Chouko's thoughts were interrupted, and she looked up to see Junna standing before her.

"Junna-san?" she asked. "What is the problem?"

"Oh, there's no problem," the maid replied. "Your father has just regained consciousness!"

The silver-haired girl immediately found herself walking at a fast pace towards her father's room. Once she entered, she found Sadahiro lying on a bed of his own; he was deep in conversation with two police officers. Standing beside him was his secretary, Takane Toro, otherwise known as Haruka Teshima, only to her knowledge.

"You must not leave this room at the moment, Hashimoto-san," one of the officers instructed. "Those cultists could be planning a second assault."

"But I must inform the public about my condition!" exclaimed Sadahiro. "If everyone thinks I'm dead-"

"Then it would give the Public Security Mobile Investigation Unit a tactical advantage against the group-" began the second officer.

"Tactical advantage, my ass! Do you have any idea what kind of impact this'll have to my company?!"

"Hashimoto-san," the first officer said, an irritated tone lacing his serious voice, "you and your daughter, your only _child_, were almost brutally murdered by a group of bloodthirsty cultists! Your wife is missing, possibly dead! One of your trusted service employees is dead and another two are in the hospital, along with a teenage boy you were entrusted to protect for the week! All those things happened to you last night, and yet, the only damn thing you are legitimately worried about is what? The current state of your _company_?! For heaven's sake, do you comprehend the seriousness of this whole goddamn situation?!"

"Koyanagi-san, relax," a new voice suddenly said.

Chouko looked at the doorway to see a man wearing a dark-brown suit standing there. Judging from his professional attitude and attire, she assumed he was the lead officer overseeing the investigation and manhunt of the cultists, mentioned to them by the police officers a few hours earlier.

"Who are you?" Sadahiro asked.

"My name is Sergeant Madoka Igarashi," the man replied, stepping into the room with an air of authority. "From here until the day we round up all of those cultists, I will be responsible for your safety and well-being, so please, bear with me, Hashimoto-san." He bowed respectfully.

Sadahiro blinked, seemingly surprised by the sergeant's courteous attitude. He then smirked bitterly.

"Well," the businessman replied sarcastically, "it's good to see a policeman who knows how to respect a victim."

The two police officers blushed in anger at that statement, but held their tongues upon receiving a hard stare from Igarashi.

"Uh, Hashimoto-sensei?" piped Junna as she stood behind Chouko.

"What is it, Junna-san?" Sadahiro replied with evident impatience.

"Chouko-chan is here to see you..."

Chouko stepped forward and, with some reluctance, held out the bouquet of sunflowers for her father to see.

"Hello, Father," she greeted. "I am thoroughly pleased to see you fully recovered. These flowers are for you."

The businessman blinked again, apparently having not expected Chouko to show him this kind of love. However, after taking a quick glance at Igarashi and the pair of police officers standing guard at his bedside, he smiled warmly, took the bouquet from his daughter's hands, and smelled the flowers.

"Mmmmm... Such an elegant fragrance. It reminds me of..." He suddenly hesitated for a moment, then his expression became somber. "Chouko..."

"Yes, Father?" replied Chouko.

"I...I must apologize to you, with all of the sincerity in my heart..." He sniffled softly. "I must've brought this madness upon us..."

"No, don't say that, Father. You did nothing to warrant this violence-"

"I challenged those monsters directly. I-I degraded them, treated them like what they refuse to see themselves as. And now, they have taken away your mother from us...possibly permanently..." He placed a hand on Chouko's shoulder and patted it lightly. "And for that...I am truly, truly sorry..."

Chouko's eyes widened slightly at her father's unorthodox behavior. She had always imagined him as the cool, down-to-earth, no-nonsense, strategic authority figure who was the model figure of industrial society. But now, now that she was at her father's bedside, the teenage girl was only seeing a weak, vulnerable version of him, unable to be saved by even his greatest, most efficient strategies... The tragic, almost traumatic sight of her broken role model was almost unbearable for her to even accept. She could only hope that the situation would resolve itself in due time, because she didn't know if she'd be able to take seeing her father reduce to this state.

With a trembling hand, Chouko placed it on her father's, smiled softly, and spoke.

"Apology accepted, F-Father."

Sadahiro could only smile widely.

* * *

**The hospital food court**

Kimiko sat at the table, silently, aimlessly poking her food with her fork while staring distantly at another direction. She could still remember Fuyuhiko Ezakiya's mad, sadistic laughter as he swung at his victims, and the storm of shouts and hollering of the cultists as they burned down Hashimoto Manor. The memories of last night's attack continued to bring cold shivers down Kimiko's spine, even if she managed to survive without a single scratch.

She knew she dodged a bullet for this terrible incident, but what happens if she came across the cult again, or perhaps even Fuyuhiko? Maybe even before she would be able to expose whatever terrible secret Sadahiro Hashimoto had hidden away. The thought of that terrified her so...

It was a good thing her meeting with Toro didn't change still. Maybe she was going to learn something useful...

"ONEE-CHAN!" a familiar voice, but Kimiko was slightly disappointed that it wasn't the person she was expecting. Moreover...she was _shocked_ upon hearing it.

"Kaisei-chaagh!" the teenage girl began before being interrupted as someone wrapped himself around her body, hugging it tightly.

"ONEE-CHAN, I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE OKAY!" Kaisei cried. "I'M SO, SO GLAD!"

"Kaisei-chan, what're you _doing_ here?!" She then broke the hug and looked into her younger brother's eyes. "Wait a minute, did you come here alone?!"

"Of course not, Onee-chan! They're with me!"

"Hey, Kimmie!" another familiar voice shouted.

Kimiko looked up and saw Naotatsu approaching her, a relieved expression etched on his face. To her surprise, he was followed by her father, Naomi, Tamika, Rikana, Hozumi, Touya, and that pink-haired girl who was Ginga's sister; she already forgot that girl's name. Was it Yui, perhaps?...

"H-H-H-_Hi_..." the pink-haired girl stuttered as she hid behind Naotatsu.

"Oh, come on, Yumie-chan!" Naotatsu exclaimed optimistically as he half-dragged the girl into greater relief, causing her face to become completely florid. "There's no need to be afraid! I promise you, Kimmie isn't gonna bite your head off." He then looked back at Kimiko. "It's good to see you again, Kimmie."

"Naotatsu-kun!" exclaimed the magenta-haired girl. "Wh-What're you doing here?!" She looked at the others. "What're you _all_ doing here?!"

"We're here to visit you, Onee-chan," Tamika replied.

"Yeah!" said Hozumi. "Sorry we couldn't bring along the rest of the club, Kimiko, but they were all busy with personal stuff."

"How'd you know I was staying at this hospital?" Kimiko asked.

"News reports," Touya replied. "The attack on Hashimoto Manor, it's all over the news. And I must say, it's quite a relief you made it out of all that unscathed."

Upon hearing Touya's response, Kimiko's eyes widened in horror. She stood up suddenly from her chair, almost knocking it over in the process and frightening Yumie.

"It was all over the news?!" she shouted.

"Well..._yeah_... We're talking about the Hashimoto family, after all..."

"Naotatsu-kun!" Kimiko glared at her classmate and fellow club member. "Why did you let my siblings watch the news?!"

Naotatsu blinked. "Eh?! What's wrong with that-?"

"You know exactly what's wrong with it!"

"Look, when you entrusted me to protect them, I was only expecting to protect them from actual, physical stuff! Not from every single thing known to man-"

"BUT YOU KNOW THE MEDIA IS JUST FULL OF..."

Kimiko instantly stopped herself as soon as she noticed everyone else in the food court looking at her curiously, having been attracted by her outburst. Scanning all of her visitors as they looked back at her in shock and (in Yumie's case, terror), she then sighed heavily in defeat and sat back down on her chair.

"Sorry..."

"It's okay, honey," Youichirou said. Then, his expression became serious. "But, speaking of which, I am very concerned for _you_, Kimiko-chan. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay..."

"You certainly don't sound okay, Kimiko-" began Rikana before being silenced by a cold glare from Kimiko.

"I'm _all right_, okay?! I don't want you guys to be so concerned about me! I can handle this!"

"But all of the reporters are saying the cult will keep coming at Hashimoto, Kimiko-san," Naotatsu said. "After all, he did just criticize them on national television. It is pretty obvious they're not taking kindly to that at all, and knowing them, they won't stop until Hashimoto and everyone affiliated with him is dead!"

"What're you trying to say?!" Kimiko demanded.

"Oh, it's pretty obvious what we're trying to say!"

The magenta-haired girl was silent for a moment. Then, she frowned angrily and looked away stubbornly.

"It's okay," she replied. "I overheard Hashimoto's staff talking. The Public Security Mobile Investigation Unit is assigning a protective detail for us all."

"They launched a full-scale attack on Hashimoto Manor," said Youichirou, almost pleadingly. "Burnt half of it down to the _ground_, honey... What makes you think some bodyguards will stop them from going after Hashimoto again? Kimiko-chan, I beg of you, please get out of that program and come home, while you still can!"

Kimiko's eyes widened upon hearing her father's request. If she did withdraw from Sadahiro's program and came home prematurely, then she wouldn't fulfill her goals of stopping the Hashimoto Communications Enterprises from continuing their irresponsibly rampant coverage of the cult's murders and exposing whatever secret Toro planned to tell her about the company or the businessman himself. She wouldn't even fulfill her promise to Takahashi...

And yet, if she was targeted again by the cult and brutally killed by them, then she would not be able to protect her siblings anymore. Even worse, her murder would traumatize them beyond repair. They were all saddened when their mother was killed; who knows what their emotional states would be like if she died too...

Her honest efforts to protect them would wind up hurting them even more...

"I...I..." she began, but the girl always found herself hesitating between two equally viable options.

"_Please_, Onee-chan..." Tamika said. "I don't wanna lose you like we lost Mom. Come on, just come home with us."

"Yeah!" added Kaisei, but he looked blissfully unaware of the true context of the situation. "I want to play with you all the time again!"

Kimiko smiled slightly at her younger brother, but still, she couldn't respond to her father's request, not appropriately so. Finally, Naotatsu abruptly took her hand.

"I'm gonna have a little talk with her for a sec," he announced before half-dragging her from her chair and out of the food court.

"What're you doing, Naotatsu-kun?" asked Kimiko.

"Well, it is obvious you don't want this kind of matter to be discussed in front of your family, so I'm doing it privately here." He looked over Kimiko's shoulder to see if her family was out of earshot before continuing. "Listen here, Kimiko, I know you're close to getting something pretty important-"

"I _did_ find something important, Naotatsu," corrected Kimiko. "I'm getting close. So, so close..."

"Yeah, well, the cult won't care if you're in the process of shedding something dark in Hashimoto's life. They're gonna kill you regardless, because you're involved with him one way or another." He stared seriously into Kimiko's eyes. "The answer is _obvious_ here, Kimmie. If you continue to stay with the Hashimoto family, you're going to DIE. And all for what? To stop media sensationalism? To make the reporters cut it out with the excessive reporting? I know, it's irking, and it gives that cult way too much credit than they deserve...hell, what am I saying?! They don't _deserve_ any credit for what they've done! But think about what's really important here, Kimmie!"

Kimiko stared back into Naotatsu's eyes, letting his words sink into her brain. Finally, after a long moment of thinking...

_ **"Hello there..."** _

"You're..." The girl's eyes softened as she hesitated. "You're _right_..."

"Oh, for God's _sake_, Kimmie!" exclaimed the boy, unconvinced. "I just can't believe you sometimes! I..." He stopped and blinked in confusion. "Wait a minute, what?"

"I said you were right. I..." She looked away in embarrassment. "I put myself in a bad situation, and...and I wanna get myself out of it..."

Naotatsu blinked again, this time in shock. He never thought Kimiko had it in her character to eventually admit that an act she committed, for the sake of all that was good, was actually _wrong_. She was too proud, idealistic, and protective of innocent people to make such an admission, one that was out of her character, especially to his face. He could not help but wonder what happened back at the Hashimoto Manor that set her mind straight like that...

Kimiko noticed his uncertainty and continued, "I'm really being serious, Naotatsu. I-I really think I should get out of that program. When everything has settled down and the situation has been resolved, I'll try and reconnect with the Hashimotos so I can get back in touch with Toro-san..."

"That is, if the Hashimotos survive this ordeal," Naotatsu said.

The magenta-haired girl's eyes widened in shock at the remark. She didn't really want to think about that scenario...

She didn't want to think about what would happen to Chouko...

* * *

**Arata Takahashi's hospital room**

"So I've been out for the rest of the night and all through this morning?"

Junna nodded, smiling softly in relief. "It's a really good thing that madman didn't have enough strength in his blows," she said. "The doctors say if he hit any harder than he did with you, Fuuta-kun, and Hashimoto-sensei, then you two would've..." She stopped briefly and moved on with the subject. "I'm just glad to see our guest is doing fine. It would be an extremely terrible disservice to the Hashimoto family and I if anyone was hurt under our watch, or worse."

Takahashi chuckled and rubbed his bandaged forehead. "Oh really, Junna-san, this is nothing," he replied. "In fact, I've seen worse injuries than this."

"Have you now?"

"Yeah. I took a nasty spill on my bike, and I'm just gonna leave it at that." Then, the redheaded boy began looking around at his bedside expectantly. "Where is she?"

"Where's who, Arata-sama?"

"Chouko. She was here sometime ago..."

"Oh, she's with her father. He's just regained consciousness."

"That's good." Takahashi's eyes then narrowed slightly. "What's gonna happen now?"

The maid raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"Well, it's obvious that cult now has their sights set on the Hashimotos. They're gonna come back for them, and since they saw us, I can't tell for sure if they're gonna try and have another shot at killing us too." His eyes narrowed even more as he examined his bandaged arm. "Those cultists, they don't care who they kill, as long as it completely satisfies whatever rituals they have enacted. And if Hashimoto-sensei crossed the threshold of their patience, they'll no doubt be even more violent..."

Junna sighed as soon as Takahashi finished his explanation. Then, she glanced at the window as sunlight leaked through the now-drawn curtains.

"Hashimoto-sensei will have to cancel the program," she replied.

Takahashi's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

"Well, one cannot expect him to teach anything about the ethics and framework of business with a cult of killers and madmen breathing down his neck."

"But what about us?! Me, Hasumi, and Kimiko?!"

"You three will all have to go home. The Public Security Mobile Investigation Unit will provide officers to protect all of you and your families every step of the way."

"And what about the Hashimotos?" However, Takahashi only had Chouko in his mind when he asked that question.

"Well, Hashimoto-sensei and Chouko-chan will both have to be taken away to a top-secret location, probably out of Japan, if necessary... As for the matters pertaining to Chitose-san, the Public Security Mobile Investigation Unit will continue trying to deduce her whereabouts... But one thing's for sure..." The maid looked back at the redhead, her lips curved into a sad smile. "I'm quite afraid our farewells will have to be a bit premature, Arata-sama."

"Oh, I'm...I'm sorry to hear that..."

"I'm quite sorry to hear that too," replied Junna. "Chouko surely did enjoy the company of you and your friends and acquaintances."

Takahashi let out a hollow laugh. "Did she now?"

"Yes. She may not exhibit that much emotion, or the willingness to indulge in the usual activities of teenagers, but I know when she's enjoying herself."

"And she was enjoying herself when we were around?"

"Well, a light certainly did switch on in her eyes when she was talking with you earlier."

The redhead blinked for a moment, then frowned. "Wait a minute, you were _eavesdropping_ on our conversation?"

Junna smiled innocently. "I couldn't help it! I was going to check on you, but I saw that Chouko already had it covered. I'm pretty sure those flowers were for you."

"Yeah, well last time I checked, whenever flowers were for someone, the sender would give the flowers immediately, not go off and let the recipients see 'em."

"Well, Hashimoto-sensei isn't a big fan of sunflowers-" She frowned briefly at that. "-nor is Fuuta-kun, so that bouquet couldn't have been for either of them."

"I don't dig sunflowers either, Junna-san," Takahashi deadpanned.

"I don't expect Chouko to be aware of that. But you _were_ the first person she visited, so-"

"Wait, wait, hold on a sec," the boy interrupted. "_I_ was the first one she visited?!"

"Yes, you heard me right."

"But...But what about her father?"

The maid shook her head in response. "Nope. Even after the two of you were done being treated for your injuries, she still continued to sit outside in the waiting room and didn't say a word. And then, she went down to the flower shop, got that bouquet, went back up, and headed for your room, straight away. I saw it all."

"Huh..." Takahashi slumped further into his bed. "I always thought she held her father in the highest of regards. Kinda shocking that she wouldn't visit _him_ first..."

Junna's frown returned, and it was much more bitter this time.

"To tell you the truth," she said, "I'm glad she visited you first and not Hashimoto-sensei."

"Eh? Why?"

Junna looked at Takahashi seriously and replied, "You should look at her relationship with her father from an unbiased, objective standpoint. You'd see that she is only doing what she does just to satisfy and please her father. _Everything_ she does is in her father's name and not her own. If Hashimoto-sensei were to say otakus are an essential component of Japanese culture, Chouko would wholeheartedly agree, hands down. If Hashimoto-sensei were to say wheat is an undesirable object, Chouko's already thrown out everything with wheat as an ingredient in a few minutes flat. She's...She's like a robot, a machine designed to obey the orders of its creator, not a living, breathing person with a life of her own, dreams of her own. Every time she finds something she likes without going it through with her father, she shuts it out!"

** _"I am counting on you to keep your word. I'm relying on you to keep my secret. You will not renege on your word, Arata Takahashi?"_ **

The memory of Chouko staring into the room with the dusty old piano in it flashed across Takahashi's mind, over and over and over again like a broken recorder. Then he realized why she started criticizing it despite defending the musical instrument's quality just a few seconds earlier, and also why she was so adamant in having him remain silent about their encounter. Upon putting two and two together, Takahashi suddenly felt his heart cringe in pity for the silver-haired girl.

_"She really liked that piano... She must've wanted to play it so badly, and yet, it must've been something her father would've disapproved of... That explains a lot..."_

Junna noticed the somber expression that filled Takahashi's face. Her lips pursed in understanding.

"I assume you know already," she piped, interrupting the teenager's thoughts.

"I noticed she kept staring at this dusty old piano..." Takahashi replied.

"Yes, that's mine. A bit of an heirloom of sorts. Chouko-chan was so fascinated by it ever since she was a little girl. She always watched me from a distance whenever I played it. But every time I try to get her to play herself, she shuts out her real feelings and becomes that serious, robotic Chouko you see all the time."

"Man... Why would Hashimoto-sensei disapprove of her playing a simple piano?"

"He's under the deluded belief that focusing on anything other than business, and I mean absolutely _anything_, will only serve as something that'll drag her down. The whole idea of it is preposterous! There's really nothing wrong with playing a damn PIANO! A reason why I think Chouko-chan is living a life of brainwashing..."

* * *

Outside the room, Chouko was leaning her head against the door, eavesdropping on Takahashi and Junna's entire conversation. Normally, she would've burst into the room and argued against Junna's remarks about her lifestyle. However, something was compelling her not to, and she had a feeling that reason involved Takahashi in some degree. She could only lean her head against the door and continue listening to the slightly muffled voices speaking back and forth.

"A life of brainwashing..." she repeated, her eyes softening.

* * *

**Approximately an hour later**

_"A life of brainwashing..."_

That single sentence was what Chouko had engraved in her mind for the past hour or so. Currently, she was sitting at her father's bedside, watching as the successful businessman calmly ate the food given to him by the nurses taking care of him. Despite his earlier slight emotional breakdown, Sadahiro had quickly reverted back to his usual cool, almost calculated state, as if he had already gotten through the loss of a loved one... In fact, he might as well would've...

"Father..." Chouko said softly.

"Yes, Chouko?" asked Sadahiro as he took a bite out of some salad.

"Do you think Mother is alright?..."

"Of course, Chouko. Don't speak of such nonsense." He sipped some of his orange juice. "If the authorities didn't recover a body, then she is likely being held captive by those cultists. With their modus operandi, I am willing to bet they will establish contact with me and use her as a bargaining chip."

"But...aren't you concerned with her personal well-being?..."

Sadahiro frowned and glared at his daughter. "Those cultists intend to break me by not contacting me immediately, leaving me in the dark about Mother's condition. I will not let them win, I _refuse_ to let that happen. Yes, I am concerned, but I will not show it, not to you, and certainly not to anyone else. I cannot be weak in the face of adversity. A Hashimoto never lets his or her guard down in a situation, no matter what. Remember that, Chouko."

"Yes, Father..." Chouko replied.

_"A life of brainwashing..."_

"Father?"

"What is it now, Chouko? Can't you see I am eating? I must rejuvenate myself in time if I am to face those psychopaths again."

"My apologies, Father, but..."

Silence followed, and Sadahiro's eyes narrowed by the minute.

"_Yes_, Chouko?" he asked forcefully. "What is it?"

Chouko continued to remain silent. She wanted to ask if her father would truly be okay to let her do at least one thing on her own accord, without having to go to him first and verify his approval of it. However, she already knew the answer to that question, and in her mind, it would be a waste of time to ask about it in the first place only to be shot down. There was no way she would be able to get her way on something without disappointing her beloved father.

So, she finally replied, "Nothing. I forgot."

Sadahiro blinked, looking apparently unconvinced, but then resumed eating.

"Okay."

* * *

Kimiko sat on one of the chairs in the waiting room, pondering over her recent decision. As much as she knew it was truly the right thing to do, removing herself from Sadahiro Hashimoto's program and therefore abandon her plan to expose his company, she still felt an obligation to stay close to Takahashi, Chouko, and Hasumi. The three of them were very kind to her, and she definitely didn't want to cease contact with them if they were in danger.

And besides...whatever Toro was planning on telling her about the company, it must've been very important... She was still intrigued by what she was about to learn.

"Hello there, Kimiko."

The magenta-haired girl looked up and saw Hasumi approaching her, a soft smile on her face.

"Oh, hello Hasumi," Kimiko replied as she gazed back down at her lap. "How're you holding up?"

"Well," the pink-haired teenager said, "considering I watched a whole bunch of people, including my friends, get hurt last night, I'm doing...surprisingly well. You?"

"I'm...I-I'm thinking..."

"Thinking about what?"

Kimiko paused for a moment, the memories of the cultists trying to breach the panic room flooding back to her mind. Then, she remembered Fuyuhiko's mad cackling and the menacing glint of his knife that signaled impending death. With a shiver, she looked back at Hasumi.

"You know..."

"Oh... I see..."

Hasumi looked down at her hands, and that was when Kimiko noticed how large her cuffs were. It was as if they were _hiding_ something...but it might just be her.

"You know," continued Hasumi, "I don't think I've ever been that scared in my entire life."

"Tell me about it," Kimiko replied softly. "I wasn't sure if I was gonna make it out of there alive..."

"And to think, these people are now operating in Nishitōkyō. Where _we_ live... They might not be at our exact neighborhoods, but who knows how long it will take until they do spread into there?" Hasumi's eyes softened as her hands rolled up into fists. "And ever since what happened back there, I-I just can't stop thinking about my father. He is the only family I have left, and with every passing second, the danger he's in grows by the minute." She then looked at Kimiko. "What about you?"

"Hm?" Kimiko blinked. "You're asking about _my_ family?"

"Well, what else would I be asking about?"

"Yeah, rhetorical statement." The girl sighed heavily as she glanced at the floor. "Well, I know for a fact that they're safe right now. They're down at the food court."

"Oh. That's a relief, I guess."

"Yeah, it sure is." Then, Kimiko placed a hand on Hasumi's shoulder, surprising the other girl.

"K-Ki-_Kimiko_?" asked a shocked Hasumi.

"Hasumi," Kimiko said seriously, "whatever you do, no matter what happens, you _have_ to protect the ones you care about. At all costs. You understand that?"

Hasumi blinked, surprised by Kimiko's serious behavior. "Of course I understand, Kimiko. I mean, after what happened to me, I can't afford to lose my father now."

Kimiko's interest was suddenly piqued. "Why? What happened to you?"

"Oh, well it's your usual sap story. My mom dies of cancer, I lose faith in life, I become suicidal." The pink-haired girl laughed hollowly. "Yeah, worst years of my life."

"Oh..." Kimiko's eyes softened. "I'm...I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah. Fortunately, I found music as a way of brightening up my life. And you guys too."

"Us?"

"Yeah. You and Takahashi. The two of you are good friends, even if I've only known you for a week now. But I know you're definitely a caring person." Hasumi placed a hand on Kimiko's forearm and patted it. "I'm glad to have people like you in my life." Then, she stood up. "Well, I gotta go call my dad. Excuse me."

Hasumi left the waiting room, leaving behind a touched Kimiko. Once the pink-haired girl was out of sight, Kimiko's eyes narrowed seriously.

* * *

Outside the hospital, Mutsuto Fujikawa and his accomplice C stood outside, examining the main entrance closely. Hours ago, last night, they had been camping out at the tent they called their home when ambulances came in, carrying several wounded people, most likely more victims of that cult they've been hearing about. As they watched the patients being brought in on stretchers, Mutsuto recognized one of them as the same redhead he pranked and helped C pickpocket back at Akihabara.

Now, the two of them continued to stay beside the hospital, instead of moving their quarters as usual. They didn't know why, but they both shared a gut feeling that a rather interesting series of events was about to take place there, and there was no way they were going to miss out on it, especially if they had something to gain.

Just then, they watched as a silver-haired girl walked out of the main entrance. They recognized her as Chouko Hashimoto, famous young heiress.

"Well, this certainly looks interesting, doesn't it?..." C asked, looking at Mutsuto.

"Yes, it sure does, C..." replied Mutsuto, grinning as he continued staring at Chouko. "It sure does."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	11. Dancing on a Keyboard

**CHAPTER 10: DANCING ON A KEYBOARD**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

* * *

**April 28, 2026**

* * *

**Nishitōkyōchūō General Hospital  
** **Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"Listen, I'm sorry, all right?" shouted an outraged Kimiko. "So why don't you just drop it already?! I don't need to be reminded of that every single minute!"

"What's wrong, Kimiko?" asked Naomi, a crafty smile on her face. "Mad to finally be wrong on something?"

Kimiko was fully prepared to lash out at her younger sister in any way possible. However, before she could do so, Youichirou stepped between the two girls.

"Alright Kimiko, there's no need to shout," he said. Then, he glanced at Naomi. "Naomi-chan, _please_ do not make fun of your sister, especially at a time like this. You have no idea what she's been through, so don't make things any worse for her. Okay?"

"_Okay_..." groaned Naomi. Then, Kimiko noticed her head turning away as the younger girl mumbled something incomprehensible, but no doubt crude.

Deciding to ignore it, the magenta-haired girl walked away from her father and younger sister, intending to reach the room of Sadahiro Hashimoto and tell him that she planned on withdrawing from his program. As much as she didn't want to (after all, it sounded like Toro, the secretary, had something important to tell her), she had to admit Naotatsu had a point. If she died while in pursuit of something so trivial in the long run, then she wouldn't be able to protect her siblings anymore. She would be failing her duty as the eldest sibling through this...

She would be breaking her promise...

Finally approaching the elevator, Kimiko pressed the 'Up' button and waited for the mechanism to reach the ground floor. As she did, she glanced back at Youichirou and Naomi, who were conversing about something undoubtedly related to her. She immediately noticed Naomi's aggressive movements and sighed sadly.

_"Oh, Naomi..."_ she thought. _"What do I have to do to reach through that thick skull of yours?..."_

Just then, she heard the ringing of the elevator, signifying its arrival. Kimiko watched the doors slide open, and in the next second, her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, not you again!" she exclaimed.

Noriya Noguchi blinked, then smirked devilishly. "Hello to you too, beautiful," he replied.

Kimiko sighed angrily. "Considering you're in there, you want to get off." She closed her eyes and stepped to the side. "By all means, go on ahead-"

"Actually," interrupted Noriya, "I just remembered, I forgot something back upstairs. I need to get it; it's pretty important."

"I doubt it."

"Oh, come on, pretty eyes!" Noriya stretched out his arms, as if hoping to welcome the magenta-haired teenager into a hug. "I won't bite. I know you've got a little something important to do upstairs as well, so we might as well go up there together! No necessity in waiting for the next elevator!"

"Well, whenever _you're_ considered, I believe there _is_ a necessity."

The teenage boy put on a mock-hurt expression. "Wow, harsh."

"You're disgusting. Don't you have a girlfriend already?"

"Yes, yes." Noriya began examining his fingernails proudly, causing Kimiko to mentally retch. "However, that does not mean I am required to neglect beautiful flowers like you..." He glanced back at Kimiko with a confident twinkle in his eye. "Especially when they're still blooming..."

His pupils moved towards the girl's chest for a split-second before refocusing back on her face. However, the action went unnoticed by Kimiko.

"Damn you to hell..." she growled.

"Say all you want," Noriya said as he leaned against the doors, preventing them from closing. "But unless you really want to get on another elevator, without good ole me, I suggest you be courteous to the people around you and let them get on the elevator as well."

Kimiko's eyes widened, and she looked behind her to see a couple standing behind her. The man was tapping his foot and frowning impatiently, while the woman was smiling in slight embarrassment. Blushing nervously, Kimiko immediately hopped onto the elevator, followed by the couple. The magenta-haired girl regretted this decision soon afterwards as she watched the doors slide shut, effectively trapping her with the perverted teenage boy.

Approximately a minute passed when the elevator reached the first floor, to which it stopped. With the ring of a bell, the doors slid open, and the couple departed from the mechanism. With no one intending to board, the doors slid shut soon afterwards, leaving the two teenagers alone. Kimiko blushed angrily, while a crafty smile slowly but steadily appeared on Noriya's face as he relished in the moment.

_"Why, oh why were Arata-kun and Hashimoto taken to the fifth floor of this hospital?"_ Kimiko asked in her thoughts.

"So..." Noriya piped, drawing the girl's disgust. "You must be wondering why I'm here."

"Oh, I can't imagine why," drawled Kimiko sarcastically.

"Well, I just wanted to check on my babe. It's a good thing she's all right, physically and mentally."

It was Kimiko's turn to smile craftily. "She won't be any longer if she finds out you've got an eye on me. And as her friend-" She glared at Noriya with a malicious glint on her eye. "-I wouldn't take that too kindly. And to think, I thought you'd at least be a bit more respectful. She _did_ just survive a harrowing ordeal...as did I. There is no way I would submit my hormonal desires to the egotistical, depraved likes of you."

"Aw, come on, babe!" Noriya approached Kimiko, backing her up at a corner. "You know you can't resist me..."

The girl chuckled as she struggled to hold in her rage. "You really are a pervert, aren't you? Willing to make your move on me in the elevator of a public building. The desperation is ever so obvious." She then tauntingly leaned her face closer to Noriya's, the villainous glint still present in her eye; their noses were nearly touching. "Is it probably because you really want to get some, and yet Hasumi is denying you that?..."

"Maybe, maybe not..." Noriya replied, still grinning.

"You should always respect the wishes of a woman, otherwise you will suffer from a grueling lesson..."

"Oh, bring on that lesson, 'cause I'm ready- ACK!"

* * *

_ **Beginning of Day Four** _

* * *

A smirking Kimiko stepped out of the elevator, ignoring the shocked expression of the elderly man as he gazed upon Noriya's collapsed form. Instead, she approached the room assigned to Sadahiro Hashimoto, intending on entering and announcing to him of her plans to withdraw from his program (that is, if it hadn't been canceled already). However, she noticed the door was slightly ajar, and voices were speaking. Immediately identifying those voices as belonging to Sadahiro and Toro, Kimiko became intrigued and leaned closer to the crack in the door, hoping to learn something from their conversation.

"What do you mean the program's being considered for cancellation?!" Sadahiro snapped.

"It is obvious the cult intends to kill you and everyone around you, Hashimoto-san," Toro replied. "Takahashi, Nishimura, and Itagaki became involved with you, just because they wished to learn how to run a business. For something so dreadful to happen to people with innocuous intentions, it will definitely not sit well with the parents, and if you survive this ordeal, you may not survive the ensuing lawsuits. Takahashi has already been hurt by a cultist; that alone should explain the problem of their continued presence."

"That was NOT a cultist. It was some maddened boy who thought he could impress those savages."

"Nevertheless, the cultists saw those children with you. They will no doubt mark them as big of an enemy as you are to them. I urge you, Hashimoto-san, for the well-being of your business, honor the board's wishes and cut this program. Let these children return to their families."

"I cannot believe this..."

Suddenly, a new voice spoke up. "Hashimoto-san, this is something that doesn't need any time to decide on. We need to minimize the severity of the situation as much as possible, and cutting your ties with all the civilians around you is a good first step."

Sadahiro began chuckling bitterly. "My dear, dear Igarashi-san, you've obviously never stepped foot into the world of businessmen and women before, have you?"

"No, I have not, admittedly," replied the unfamiliar voice. "However, Hashimoto-san, I have seen enough cases to know that anyone who thinks they have control of the entire situation simply winds up dead in a matter of weeks, if not days. So please, do not act like you know better than those who are genuinely out to protect you and your family, because I simply do not have the patience for that kind of behavior. Heed the words of your board, and let those three children return home."

Kimiko beamed proudly, relieved to know that even a police officer like Igarashi had the common sense to put Sadahiro in his place. She then heard the businessman grunt angrily; he undoubtedly hated being told what to do, even if it was from a person of authority.

"Hashimoto-san..." said Toro.

"Fine!" snapped Sadahiro. "Fine, fine, _fine_! God, so much yen spent, all for nothing..."

"It is all for the best, Hashimoto-san."

"Yes, yes, of course..."

Sadahiro's voice trailed off, and Kimiko heard a set of footsteps approaching the door. She stepped back courteously, just as the door opened, revealing a man in his thirties, with well-kept brown hair and serious gray eyes. He was wearing a formal dark-brown suit with a dark-green tie, and there was a Public Security Mobile Investigation Unit badge pinned on the breast area of his shirt. The two looked at each other, and Kimiko's eyes widened slightly. This officer (who she presumed to be the one Sadahiro referred to as Igarashi) was rather intimidating, and yet, there was another aura about him that made her want to trust him wholeheartedly. It actually reminded her of Takahashi somewhat.

"Excuse me," the sergeant said, passing by the teenage girl.

She watched him go for a moment before glancing into Sadahiro's room. There, she found the businessman sitting in a hospital bed, clad in the traditional patient's gown and wearing an expression of defeat. If she didn't have better self-control, she would have laughed at the man's humiliating position.

Sadahiro took quick notice of Kimiko, narrowed his eyes, and snarled, "I'm assuming you overheard the whole conversation, did you?"

"Just the tail end, but yes," Kimiko replied honestly.

Sadahiro scoffed, rolled his eyes, and looked out of the window. Kimiko's eyes caught Toro's, but the secretary was looking away, as if there was something she really wanted to tell the girl, but was unable to due to her current position. Before she could look any further into it, Kimiko heard Sadahiro speak again.

"Well then, I believe this is goodbye, Kimiko Nishimura."

"Yes." However, Kimiko felt no sadness from this premature event. "Goodbye."

No sadness, not at all.

* * *

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

Takahashi couldn't help but sigh. He always fantasized about Hasumi lovingly sitting by his side whenever he was hospitalized, like a concerned wife would be to her husband. However, now that he was living out such a scenario, there was a part of him that regretted ever thinking about it in the first place. Not that he personally felt anything against Hasumi for visiting him and inquiring about his well-being, but he had been asked that question multiple times already (in fact, this had to be the fourth time Hasumi asked this) and the repetition was starting to cause a minor headache for the redheaded boy.

"For the last time, Hasumi," he replied, "I'm _fine_. Does it look like I'm dying to you?"

"You got hit pretty hard by that guy, though," said Hasumi, inching closer to Takahashi's side and causing him to blush. "I don't want a friend dying on me, ya know. I at least don't want your memory to be damaged or anything. It'd be bad if it were so."

_"Yeah, a friend,"_ Takahashi thought bitterly. Then, he said, "I'm _fine_! Gosh, I can't wait till I get outta here. I hope those cultists didn't burn down my bedroom..."

Hasumi chuckled and slapped her friend's shoulder lightly. "Well, guess I won't have to worry about your memory being damaged."

"Thanks, I guess." Then, Takahashi's eyes narrowed seriously. "What's gonna happen now?"

"What're you talking about?"

"I mean with the program, the one we're in." The teenage boy glanced at the doorway longingly. "Hashimoto-sensei's life is obviously in grave danger, and Junna-san tells me they're probably going to cancel it for our safety and well-being."

"It's for the best, then." Hasumi glanced down at the floor with a soft expression. "I mean, after what happened, who'd wanna be near him?" She then looked up, saw the flat look Takahashi was delivering her, and realized what she just said. "Oh, not trying to be offensive or anything! It's the truth, though."

"Yes, that's right." Takahashi looked up at the ceiling. "Darn. I was really enjoying the high life too..."

The pink-haired girl sighed heavily. "Wow, so you're still thinking about that too, huh?..." she mumbled to herself.

Takahashi blinked and looked back at her. "What was that?"

"Nothing."

"No, I heard you say something about me. Please repeat it."

Hasumi pursed her lips. "Even after nearly dying, you're prioritizing, what, a mansion and a luxurious lifestyle? You're not even concerned about what just happened? You're not concerned about the fact that you could've been murdered by a crazed, devil-worshiping lunatic, probably one of the worst ways to die?"

"I didn't forget about that, Hasumi." He sighed and pursed his own lips, feeling as if Hasumi's response was instead an offensive remark. "Seriously, what in the world do people have against being rich and living a life of luxury and goods? It's what everyone wants, right?"

"Not everyone."

"Yeah, well, look who's talking! You want to become a musician! You want to start a band! Aren't you gonna get a lot of money from selling your albums?"

The girl's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I'm probably going to be filthy rich selling my albums. But you know what I _really_ expect out of becoming a musician?"

"I don't know." Then, before Takahashi could stop himself, he added, "Seriously, how could you not do this for money?"

"Money?!" exclaimed Hasumi, standing up abruptly from her chair. "_Money_?! Is that what you think people are motivated by?! MONEY?!"

"I-I didn't mean it that way-"

"I've known you for a while, Takahashi, long enough to know what's up with you! For the longest time, you've always been complaining about your house and your job and your living. You've always been talking about how desperately you wanted to get rich and get away from your current lifestyle. Back then, I believed it when you said you hated your current life. I mean, I've seen how much of a bad luck magnet you were."

"Oh, thanks," the redhead replied dryly.

"But now that we're here and you're moaning about the loss of the mansion," continued Hasumi, "it makes me worry about your priorities."

"Hey, my priorities are top-notch straight, alright?! I mean, I sprung to your defense when that madman tried to go after you and the others! Unless those are really the actions of a guy who cares for money first and foremost, I'm pretty sure my motives are self-explanatory there!"

Hasumi blinked, realizing what Takahashi just said. Remembering the incident back at the cabin, she nodded softly and sat back down on her chair.

"Yes, that's true..."

The redheaded teenager sighed and looked back up at the ceiling, feeling the emotional impact of his argument with Hasumi catching up to him. He honestly couldn't believe he even had an argument with her, the only person besides his mother who truly cared about him (well, aside from Kimiko, but she was a newcomer in his life so he couldn't count her just yet), the girl he loved with all of his heart, despite everything he said...

_A flurry of silver hair..._

Takahashi shook his head and said, "Look, Hasumi, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have argued with you like that. It's just, well, you know how I am."

"Yes, I know. It's just...money isn't everything. It won't bring you true happiness in life."

"I know, I know." Takahashi briefly remained silent before asking, "Hasumi?"

"Yeah, Arata-kun?"

"If you didn't want to become a musician for the money, then why'd you want to become a musician, then?"

Hasumi sighed. "Didn't you hear what I said yesterday at that neighborhood where the cultists struck?"

"Well, I _was_ bonked on the head a few hours ago, so I'm pretty sure I lost that conversation..."

"I wanted to become a musician so then I can provide brand-new worlds for my fans to escape into, just like music did for me. I want to help people who are just like me, those who feel hopeless, who fail to see the point in life, who cannot yet grasp any sense of true happiness... I want to do that for them."

"Oh yeah, that's right..." Takahashi's eyes softened, remembering exactly what Hasumi told him. "I'm...I'm sorry. For forgetting that..."

"It's okay."

Hasumi stood up and began to walk out of the room. Takahashi, still feeling pitiful about their conversation, called out to her.

"Hasumi."

The pink-haired girl stopped and turned around, the ghost of a smile appearing on her face. "Yes, Arata-kun?"

"I am really sorry if I gave off the wrong impression to you," he replied honestly. "Of prioritizing money above all else. It's important to me, but..." He paused for a moment and blushed a bright pink. "But you're important to me too. You really are."

Hasumi blinked in surprise and said, "You know I have a boyfriend, right?"

Takahashi felt his heart drop at the mention of Noriya as he responded stiffly, "Yes, I am aware of that." He then forced an innocent smile. "What, I wasn't trying to be romantic towards you or anything. I view you as a very close friend of mine, someone I can depend on and entrust my life with!"

"Oh." The girl smiled with relief. "That's good to know. It was just that you were sounding a little sappy and melodramatic there."

"I was?" Takahashi tried to widen his smile, but without much success. "Sorry about that."

"Apology accepted." Hasumi then approached the door and opened it. "Gotta go now, Arata-kun. Just feel better, okay?"

"Hey, nothing brings down Arata Takahashi without being brought down too!"

To emphasize his point, the redheaded teenage boy gave his friend a thumbs-up. Hasumi smiled, returned it with one of her own, and then left, the door shutting itself behind her. Once she was gone, Takahashi sighed heavily and clenched his fists. He had been so close to confessing his feelings to Hasumi, only to be shot down with the simple mention of _that accursed boy_. ...Then again, it was probably for the best...

_"We _did _just have an argument,"_ he thought. _"If I came forward now, I'd probably be painting myself as an even more selfish person than Hasumi thinks of me... I guess I'll just have to wait a little longer."_ The ghost of a dreamy smile appeared on his face as he began fantasizing._ "Then, when the time is right, it'll my turn to hug her, to kiss her, to tell her how much of an important person she is to me, to stroke her silver hair..."_ His smile suddenly turned into a frown._ "Wait, silver hair?"_

* * *

Hasumi was on her way to Sadahiro's room when she saw Kimiko suddenly emerging from it, a hard, serious expression etched on her face. Intrigued, not knowing why she was in the room in the first place, the pink-haired musician approached her new friend as she was sitting down on a nearby waiting chair.

"Kimiko?" she asked, catching the other girl's attention. "What, uh...what happened in there? Did you talk to Hashimoto-sensei?"

"Yeah," replied Kimiko as she looked away. "I talked to him...about the program."

"Oh, good. I was gonna approach him about that. You just saved me from a whole lot of trouble there." Hasumi chuckled kindly as she sat down beside Kimiko. "So, what exactly did he say, Kimiko?"

Kimiko's tone was nonchalant. "The program's canceled already. Hashimoto was letting me go."

"Oh. Should've known that was gonna happen." Hasumi stretched her legs and then stood up. "Well, I guess this means we're going home-"

"This isn't over, though," interrupted the magenta-haired girl. "You know that, right?"

"Huh? What're you talking about?"

"The cult." Kimiko looked up at Hasumi, her eyes narrowing seriously. "Before the attack on Hashimoto Manor, they struck one of the suburban neighborhoods in Nishitōkyō. Nishitōkyō, Hasumi! That's close to where we live!" She looked down at the well-cleaned floor, deep in thought. "It doesn't matter if the program we're participating in is canceled or not. Sooner or later, we'll come across that cult at least once more. You, me, and Arata-kun are still in danger." She looked back up at Hasumi. "So don't you dare think it's over, because we're still not out of the woods, Hasumi! Not yet!"

Hasumi was slightly unnerved by Kimiko's seriousness, but she replied calmly, "But we're gonna have police protection, Kimiko. I overheard that part. We should be-"

"If those cultists have the guts to attack an entire mansion and burn half of it to the ground," Kimiko interrupted again, "then I doubt a bunch of cops can scare them. I urge you, Hasumi, be on your guard at all times. At school, at work, at home, I don't care. You need to be careful."

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Hasumi smiled slightly and crossed her arms. "Jeez, someone's being a little protective."

"Well, it's just like you said earlier, you and Arata-kun are good friends, even if I've known you two for only about a week. You guys brighten up my life. And no matter what I do, no matter what happens, I have to protect the ones I care about, at all costs. That includes you two."

"Oh, that's sweet of you to say." Hasumi's smile widened. "Thank you, Kimiko."

Kimiko couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah, you're welcome."

Just then, the two girls heard someone approaching. They looked down the hallway and spotted a man approaching their position. Kimiko was quick to recognize him as the police officer Sadahiro was talking to, the one named Igarashi, she believed it was.

"Hello there," Igarashi greeted upon spotting the duo. "Kimiko Nishimura-" He pointed at Hasumi. "-and Hasumi Itagaki?" He pointed at Kimiko.

"Oh, I'm Kimiko," replied Kimiko before gesturing to Hasumi. "That's Hasumi."

"Oh, my apologies. My name is Sergeant Madoka Igarashi, and I am leading the investigation into the cult. As a result, I will be responsible for your safety and well-being, so please, bear with me." He bowed respectfully, which surprised Hasumi and even Kimiko.

"Oh, nice to meet you too," Hasumi said, smiling slightly.

"Now, I am assuming you are aware of the cancellation of Sadahiro Hashimoto's program?"

"Yes, that's true."

"Alright. Then follow me. We shall get you into protective custody this instant."

"Wait a minute," piped Kimiko. "What about Arata-kun?"

"Arata Takahashi?" For some reason, there was some bitterness and another strange emotion laced with Igarashi's voice as he spoke the name. "He will not be discharged from the hospital until tomorrow afternoon. But do not worry about him. There will be trained officers patrolling his room day and night." He then gestured the girls to follow him. "Now, come on. We mustn't waste anymore time, you two."

Kimiko was about to ask Igarashi if she could get to say goodbye to Chouko, but she had a sinking feeling he wouldn't approve. So, after taking one last glance at Sadahiro's room, she followed Igarashi and Hasumi to the elevator, where several other people were already waiting patiently.

"Now," continued Igarashi, "do not expect yourselves to be relocated to a top-secret location. We are not under the belief that the cult is well-equipped and well-resourced enough to monitor your every movement. You will all be able to continue your normal, daily routines as usual. The only difference is that you will be tailed everywhere by undercover officers."

"So we'll be able to go to school and work and parties?" Hasumi asked.

"Yes, that is correct. Now, we will have to train you in understanding hand signals so you will decipher our secret messages quickly in case there is an emergency."

"Oh, man. I can imagine Arata-kun's head rolling at the mention of that."

Kimiko immediately noticed Igarashi's eyes narrow at the mention of Takahashi's name. She could tell there was something about the redheaded boy that the police sergeant didn't exactly _approve_ of. However, she didn't want to pry into the topic any further.

"Now," Igarashi continued, the expression disappearing from his face, "I understand that you girls are likely disappointed at the program being canceled-"

"Not really," interrupted Hasumi suddenly, shaking her head.

"Me neither," Kimiko added, nodding in agreement. "I'm glad we're out of Hashimoto's hair, at long last."

"Is that so?" Igarashi scoffed. "I guess even kids do not hold even the slightest respect towards him. Can't say I'm all that surprised to hear such a thing."

Kimiko's attention was piqued at this remark. "So...what's _your_ opinion of Sadahiro Hashimoto?..."

"He's an asshole, that's my opinion of him," the sergeant replied tersely.

The magenta-haired girl mentally sighed in relief at hearing that response. At the same time, the elevator doors slid open, allowing everyone waiting to step inside. An elderly woman pressed a button leading to the ground floor, and the elevator bell rang softly, prompting the doors to slowly close. As they did, Kimiko spotted Toro stepping out of Sadahiro's room. Their eyes met for a brief moment, seconds before the doors were completely closed.

_"Now I'll never know what she wanted to tell me..."_ Kimiko thought glumly.

She then glanced across her shoulder, observing Hasumi as she whipped out her cellphone and began texting someone, likely the unfaithful bastard Noriya.

** _"Whatever you do, no matter what happens, you have to protect the ones you care about. At all costs. You understand that?"_ **

_"How am I supposed to protect the ones I care about when I've stumbled onto something big and potentially dangerous, and yet I just cannot learn more?..."_

* * *

**Remnants of Hashimoto Manor  
** **A couple of hours later**

Firefighter crews were trudging through what remained of the burnt half of Hashimoto Manor, searching thoroughly for any flames and embers left by the fire that took them a few hours to completely extinguish. Pieces of furniture were overturned and appeared as if an unknown force burst out of them from the inside. Once-majestic portraits and curtains were now tattered messes. A chandelier had broken loose from its tether and fallen on top of a circular table of mostly glass, completely crushing it. The only thing that remained virtually untouched in the blaze was a portrait of Sadahiro Hashimoto himself, situated on a portion of a wall that was miraculously still standing. Two firefighters approached it and looked up at the portrait admiringly.

"Amazing that that thing didn't get destroyed in the fire," one of them said, crossing his arms. "That blaze practically engulfed fifty percent of this mansion."

"Yeah, that is indeed remarkable," replied the other. Then, he placed an index finger on his chin in wonder. "Hey, maybe we should bring this portrait to Hashimoto-san. He might give us a nice reward for doing such a service."

"A nice reward, eh?" A smile appeared on the first firefighter's face. "I like that sound of that..."

"Alright, you two stop looking at that painting and get back to work!" snapped a third firefighter, who was older and was no doubt their superior. "This isn't an art museum, for Christ's sake; this is an active fire risk, so treat it like one!"

"Okay, okay!" the second firefighter exclaimed. "No need to take it out on us!"

The two firefighters rejoined their colleagues in searching for leftover flames, but not before taking one last, solemn look at Sadahiro's portrait. The entire time, they failed to notice the minuscule camera hidden on where Sadahiro's left pupil was painted. A small red light was still blinking on it.

* * *

**Unknown location**

The man with the golden hood watched on one of the many computer screens as the two firefighters stepped away from the portrait. He let out a heavy sigh of relief, knowing fully well that the operation would've been compromised had either one of them decided to take a closer look.

Then, he surveyed the other computer screens before him. About half of them were completely static, indicating the cameras installed were destroyed, but the remainder were mostly displaying live recordings of other rooms and locations in Hashimoto Manor. There were also a few other screens that were recording other locations, most of which were in the outdoors.

One screen in particular caught his interest: the one recording the abandoned shed situated at the other end of the secret passageway out of the mansion. Right now, it was recording a group of police officers as they were investigating the area, searching for evidence. There was a chalk-drawn outline of a body, no doubt belonging to the butler that had been brutally slain last night by a rather unexpected third-party.

Pursing his lips, the man pressed a button on a dashboard, and the recording began to rewind. After a couple of minutes, he pressed the button again, and the recording had gone back to last night's events, exactly when the teenage boy launched his attack on the escapees. Watching with a glint in his eye as the boy viciously swung his hammer and knife at the group, the man licked his lips in satisfaction.

_"The boy was certainly trying to help us in this event,"_ he thought. _"While his efforts were amateurish, he does have potential. He could be quite a useful pawn in our scheme yet. A shame he had to flee like that. I would've loved to recruit him myself. But no matter. When the next phase of the operation is initiated, there is no doubt he will be there, and I will be sure to greet him personally when that time comes. In the meantime..."_

He glanced towards yet another computer screen, which was recording the room of Sadahiro Hashimoto, who was eating his lunch while his daughter attempted to talk to him, only to no avail. His lips curved into a nasty sneer, and he tapped his armrest rhythmically.

_"...Things need to run their course."_

* * *

**Nishitōkyōchūō General Hospital  
** **Several hours later**

The bell of the elevator rang softly, and the elevator doors slid open, revealing Chouko.

With a calm exhale, the silver-haired girl stepped out of the elevator and entered the ground floor of the hospital. She scanned the entire area, noticing a complete absence of patients, employees, and visitors. She then glanced out of the nearest window, taking note of the starry sky and the shining streetlights outside.

Though it was hours ago when she first learned the cancellation of her father's program due to the complications posed by the cult, Chouko couldn't help but feel as if she had just learned of the news seconds ago. Strangely enough, she had the sensation of something inside her being empty, as if she was a hollow log. The girl did not want to think of it as a yearning to see Kimiko and Hasumi again. Every time she interacted with those two girls, she felt as if they were people she would not easily get along with, especially Kimiko. She didn't appreciate the attitude that magenta-haired girl maintained in the presence of her respectable father. In fact, if she wasn't all that proper, Chouko would've admitted out loud her gratitude for them being gone, not that there was anyone to confess to anyway.

As for the boy named Arata Takahashi, he was still in the hospital, so she didn't have to bid him farewell just yet. She didn't want to feel any relief from that...but for some reason, there was a slight twinge of it in her heart. And it disgusted her to no end. How could she have these kinds of positive feelings towards that boy?!

Continuing her trek across the ground floor, Chouko next looked at the empty food court. The lights were still on, but all of the businesses were closed and gated off, and not a single table was occupied. That said, she decided to take a seat at one of the oblong tables, located near the middle of the food court. Looking around, seemingly in curiosity, the silver-haired girl mentally noted that the silence and emptiness of the area was strange. One might even describe it as rather unnerving...

Then, Chouko slowly scanned the table she was sitting at, from one end to the other end. She could imagine the people who would sit on it, no doubt large families or tight-knit groups of friends, having the time of their lives. Then again, who would be wanting to have the time of their lives if they were in a hospital?

In fact, the silver-haired girl wondered why there was a food court with popular businesses using it. However, she couldn't see the necessity in setting up restaurants in a pessimistic place such as this hospital. She understood that these businesses needed as much branches to be situated in a single area as possible, but she did expect some more modesty from them, as the heiress of a fellow corporation. Did they really expect their customers to attain some sort of happiness even here?

_"Businesses can be quite inconsiderate,"_ she thought. _"At least Hashimoto Communications does not have that kind of capacity."_

Suddenly, she noticed a faint glimmer at the corner of her eye. Glancing at the farther end of the food court, at a corner, Chouko noticed a piano sitting there, still open, its white keyboard radiating a welcoming aura. The musical instrument looked _exactly_ like the one in Junna's possession. Speaking of which, she wondered if her piano managed to survive the blaze that engulfed her home. Junna's room was indeed dangerously close to the half that had been burnt down...

"Chouko-chan?" a voice piped suddenly.

Chouko flicked her head towards the origin of the voice, surprised at the presence of another person but refusing to show it. To her relief, it was none other than...

"Oh, greetings Junna-san," she replied, moving strands of her hair behind her ear. "I didn't hear you come down here."

"You sure?" The maid glanced back towards the elevators, her head tilted in curiosity. "I am pretty sure those elevator bells had a bit of a loud ring to it." She then shrugged. "Oh, well." Junna looked back towards Chouko, a worried expression flooding her face. "Anyway, whatever are you doing down here, where no one else is around to protect you?! I covered half of his forsaken hospital looking for you!"

Chouko stood up from her chair and bowed respectfully. "My apologies, Junna-san. I was ungraciously woken from my sleep and I could not remain still for long. So, I thought I would exhaust myself by traveling down here to the ground floor and explore. There were some interesting things here that have piqued my interest."

"Like that piano, for example?" replied Junna, her eyebrow raised.

"As if, Junna-san. You know I do not have any interest in such trivial things."

"Yes, says the girl who spent almost half an hour staring at it."

"I did no such-" Chouko paused abruptly. "Wait, _almost half an hour_. It's been _that long_?"

"Yes. To be honest, I found you earlier on but I thought I'd leave you with your thoughts. Then, I came back to check on you and saw you still staring at it."

The girl frowned disapprovingly. "You know I cannot abide lies, Junna-san. Be forthcoming with me in the future, will you?"

"I will keep that in mind, Chouko-chan." However, Junna was still smiling craftily. "So, whatever are you waiting for?"

"What are you talking about, Junna-san?"

Junna's smile widened, and she walked up to Chouko. Before the girl could say anything, the maid placed a hand upon her shoulder.

"I know how desperate you are to play the piano. And guess what? Your father is not in a position to object to you giving in to your true desire. Go on, do it."

Chouko's eyes widened in horror. "Are you telling me to _defy_ Father's orders?..." she asked incredulously. She then took a step backward, as if Junna was a terrifying monster. "How...How could you _say_ such a thing to me?! About the person who is providing for your living?!"

The maid sighed and shook her head. "Chouko-chan, you can't fool yourself any longer. Anyone who tries shunning their true image for the sake of a fake one that will only provide more harm than good... They wind up being eaten from the inside out, metaphorically speaking. _You_ need to be _you_-"

"And what if I cannot?!" interrupted Chouko, although it was more of a question than a protest.

"Well then, I can only tell you this," Junna replied. "Always follow your heart, Chouko-chan."

She then turned around with a swish of her flowing skirt and began walking back towards the elevators. Chouko silently watched the maid leave, her mouth slightly ajar, her eyes expressing complete, uncharacteristic surprise. Once Junna approached one of the elevators and pressed the summoning button, the teenager looked back towards the piano. She couldn't help but notice the spotlight illuminating the musical instrument, which was further beckoning her.

After a couple of minutes of staring, Chouko heard the elevator bell ring, and she glanced over her shoulder. Junna was stepping into the elevator; she pressed a button to the floor Sadahiro was on. As the doors began to automatically slide themselves shut, their eyes met, and Junna gave Chouko an approving nod before the doors closed completely.

With Junna gone, Chouko glanced back at the piano, her lips pursed, her soul torn in half. She wanted to honor her beloved father's wishes so desperately, especially now that he was bedridden and in the middle of a personal crisis... And yet, she always wanted to know what kind of tune Junna had always been playing. She never managed to find out, or even ask... She could only remember what exactly it sounded like...

** _"Always follow your heart, Chouko-chan."_ **

Chouko couldn't stop herself as she walked towards the piano, her clenched fists, pursed lips, and serious eyes radiating her determination to fulfill her destiny...

* * *

_ **"...Kanade... KANADEEEEEEEEEE!"** _

Takahashi's eyelids abruptly flew open as he gasped. A second later, he sat up and began panting heavily, as if he had just finished running a marathon of some kind. Hot beads of sweat were beginning to drip down his forehead and temples, and he could feel his heart hammering away at his sternum like a jackhammer. He didn't know why he was in this state, for he couldn't recall having any frightening nightmares.

Then, he noticed something else: not only was sweat dripping down his face, but...so were _tears_...

Once he had calmed down and wiped his face of the sweat and tears, Takahashi glanced at the doorway, as if expecting someone to be standing there. However, the door was closed, and there was no one else in the room with him. He remembered there being two police officers stationed somewhere outside near his doorway, intended as bodyguards, or so he liked to call it.

Just then, he felt a familiar sensation.

_"Oh, great,"_ he thought sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. _"I'm the potential target of a psycho cult, and I have the urge to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, while in a hospital that's mostly empty at this point. Yeah, real great timing there, body. _Real_ great timing."_

At first, Takahashi strongly considered holding it in and waiting for sunrise so there would be more people at that point. However, a couple of minutes later, the urge became stronger, something the redheaded boy rolled his eyes at.

So, after giving it some thinking, he got out of his bed and began walking towards the doorway. Opening the closed door and peeking his head out, Takahashi noticed the two police officers sitting on chairs at either side of the doorway, completely asleep. One was snoring loudly, while a strand of drool was hanging loosely out of the other officer's mouth while he was holding a box of donuts securely to his stomach. Takahashi rolled his eyes yet again.

_"Some bodyguards you are..."_

Cautiously looking down either side of the hallway, Takahashi then reluctantly wandered out of his room and headed to his left. He wondered if he should be out of his room or even his bed, or if he should've at least gotten someone to accompany him. After all, he _was_ still a patient. However, those thoughts were overridden by his strong desire to find the nearest bathroom stall and do his business.

Conveniently, after a couple of minutes of searching, the nearest men's bathroom Takahashi could find was closed off for repairs.

"Oh, couldn't your night get _any_ worse, Arata Takahashi?" the boy asked himself. "Really, couldn't it?..."

He then noticed the women's restroom directly next to the men's restroom. It wasn't closed off.

* * *

Takahashi mentally cursed himself for not going inside the women's restroom several minutes back. Apparently, he had decided to be moralistic enough to not step foot into that room and search for another men's restroom. However, the floor he was on had no other such restrooms, and the teenager was forced to take the elevator down to the ground floor in his search. However, that only served to make his urge worsen by the minute.

_"The things I do to respect women's privacy..."_ he thought, frowning sadly.

Then, his thoughts were dispelled by the ringing of the elevator bell. As soon as the doors opened, Takahashi dashed out into the main lobby, where he immediately spotted a sign indicating the men's restroom, and the area wasn't closed off. Sighing in relief, the boy ran into the room as fast as he could, entering the nearest stall and closing the door behind him. The toilet looked _extremely_ welcoming to him right now.

As soon as he raised his hospital gown, placed toilet paper on the seat, and sat down, Takahashi took quick notice of the faint tune that was playing in the distance. He was sure the tune was coming from somewhere else on the ground floor if he could hear it so easily. He sighed in agitation, believing it to be one of those songs the hospital played to soothe incoming patients, in the same function as elevator music. Then, his agitation increased as soon as he recognized the music; he heard it a few times before on the radio. It was one of those older, lamer songs, he believed.

As soon as he was done relieving himself, Takahashi stood up, flushed the toilet, and lowered his hospital gown. Exiting the stall to wash his hands, the redheaded boy noticed at that point the music was distant and coming from a single source, instead of being played all around for the hospital to hear. To make things even more interesting for him, the music sounded slightly different, as if only one instrument was being used to play it. Also, there was no one singing it.

Finished with washing his hands, the boy left the restroom and began heading towards the elevator. Halfway there, he stopped, spotting something at the corner of his eye. Glancing towards the food court passively, his eyes widened as soon as he recognized the silver-haired girl at the corner, playing the piano.

_"_Chouko_?..."_ he thought incredulously.

Indeed, there Chouko was, playing the piano...and she was doing quite excellent at it. The movements of her fingers, the way her body swayed to the tune, the very energy that seemed to shoot off whenever her fingertip hit a certain key, it was all gracious. Coupled with the spotlight illuminating her and the piano, Takahashi would have easily mistaken her for a professional pianist, playing one of her trademark songs.

_"I don't believe it..."_ thought Takahashi._ "It's...It's almost _beautiful_..."_

_ **"Chouko-chan was so fascinated by it ever since she was a little girl. She always watched me from a distance whenever I played it. But every time I try to get her to play herself, she shuts out her real feelings and becomes that serious, robotic Chouko you see all the time."** _

_"She shuts out her real feelings... She shuts out her real self. So..."_ Takahashi's eyes widened. _"So _that_ must be the true Chouko, behind that piano..."_

He continued to watch Chouko as she swayed to the music. At that point, she almost bore the resemblance of an angel. With every passing minute, Takahashi's lower jaw was slowly sliding open. He was completely in awe of the almost miraculous sight that was before him. If God didn't exist to grant him such a magnificent sight, then the redhead just couldn't understand the otherworldly forces at play.

Then, before he knew it, Chouko stopped playing, to his slight discomfort. Now, she was looking down at the keyboard, her face stoic and emotionless as usual, but her golden eyes were shining with some sort of newfound lively energy. Takahashi could imagine she was thinking about how much of a relief it was to remove that unreasonably heavy burden off her shoulders and finally express herself in the only way she knew how.

Suddenly, the silver-haired girl stood up and walked away from the piano. Seconds later, she spotted Takahashi standing in the food court. It was at that moment he realized he had moved closer to her and the piano, subconsciously so. As their eyes met, both of their faces became as red as tomatoes.

"He-Hello..." Takahashi greeted, raising his hand awkwardly.

"Hello yourself..." replied Chouko, trying her best to remain calm. "Wha-What are you doing d-down here, o-out of your r-room?"

"What am I doing out of my room?" The redhead crossed his arms, hoping to look cool. "For your information, I had to take a dump, the men's bathroom upstairs _had_ to be closed off for repairs, and there was no one who could accompany me downstairs." He then raised an eyebrow at her. "What're _you_ doing down here?"

"I believe you already know the answer to that." Chouko shuffled her foot uncomfortably, the color of her cheeks rising. "I assume you were not expecting something like this from a serious, no-nonsense heiress like me..."

"No, I honestly didn't."

Chouko pursed her lips and looked down at the floor in shame.

"But..." continued Takahashi, prompting her to look up at him. "You...You're actually pretty good at that..."

The girl's eyes widened, and the blush disappeared from her face, being replaced with a soft smile that was slowly widening. She was almost beaming at the boy.

"You think so?..." she asked.

"Of course! Anyone who can play a song like that with such grace surely deserves the praise I just said, at the very least."

"Th-Thank you." Chouko blushed again and closed her eyes for a moment, relishing in the compliment. Then, she opened them and looked at Takahashi. "And thank you, Arata Takahashi, for taking this time to listen. I guess this makes you my first audience."

"And probably your first fan." Takahashi was beginning to settle into the conversation; his blush was now gone. "You know, you should become a professional pianist!"

At that very remark, Chouko abruptly became rigid and her eyes widened in horror, as if she was seeing a ghost. Her smile immediately turned into a noticeable frown. Takahashi's eyes widened as well; he was afraid he said something that offended her. After all, he still barely knew her.

"Chouko?" he asked. "Chouko, are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"

Then, the girl replied, almost talking to herself, "My name is Chouko Hashimoto, heir to the Hashimoto business."

Takahashi blinked in confusion. "W-What?"

Chouko didn't respond. Instead, she silently walked past the redheaded boy and headed towards the elevator. Briefly dumbfounded by the response he got, Takahashi then turned around and ran after the silver-haired girl, nearly stumbling in his step as he did so.

"Chouko, wait!" he called. "Wait a minute! Hold on, Chouko!"

He caught up with Chouko, just as she approached the elevator and pressed the summoning button. He grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. However, she was not looking at him; instead, she stared vacantly ahead at his chest. It was at that moment Takahashi realized what the problem really was.

"Look, Chouko!" Takahashi said. "I know you've got a problem with being told that, but I really mean it. And I think you can-"

Chouko wrestled herself out of Takahashi's grip and looked up at him with a look of cold defiance.

"I have no idea what you are babbling about, Arata Takahashi," she replied.

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about."

The elevator bell rung, signifying its arrival. Chouko stepped inside the transport device, closely followed by Takahashi.

"I honestly don't," she said.

"I'm talking about the problem between you and your dad, Chouko."

Chouko refused to look at him as she replied, "I have absolutely no quarrels of any sort with my father. You are speaking nonsense, Takahashi."

"Say all you want, Chouko, but Junna-san seems to think otherwise. And if what I saw ever since I came to your home has anything to go by, then I agree."

"Junna-san is a kind, caring woman, but she can certainly worry over someone too much, and trivially so. Do not let her words poison your mind."

Takahashi frowned angrily. "_You're_ the one whose mind is poisoned by someone's words, and that someone happens to be your father!"

The elevator bell rang again, and the doors slid open. Chouko calmly stepped out of the elevator, and Takahashi growled as he followed her out, unsatisfied that she didn't seem to be paying attention to him like she had been back at the food court.

"Chouko, just _listen_ to me!" he exclaimed. "I wanna help you-"

The girl stopped walking. "No, you do NOT." Chouko twirled around, a bitter expression on her face. "You never held even a simple _modicum_ of concern for my well-being. Ever since we first met, you have treated me like an undesirable parasite, something that must be avoided at all costs. You would not gladly take a bullet for me, even if it meant being granted all of the fortunes the world has to offer in return-"

"Actually, that said, I would like to do that," interrupted Takahashi, still frowning disapprovingly.

Chouko's frown became even more pronounced. "And that is the base of my problem with _you_, Arata Takahashi. While you immaturely treat me like a pest, I have seen you for what you really are: a selfish, low-class boy who aspires to achieve lofty, ambitious goals that have been and always will be beyond reach."

Takahashi's eyes widened at the insult. "E-Exc-_Excuse_ me?!" He regained his composure almost immediately. "I'll have you know that with hard work and enough determination, any kind of goal is within anyone's reach! Anything is possible if you just put your mind to it. And if _you_ put your mind to what your true goal is, then nothing can stop you from accomplishing your dreams, not even your own father!"

"Why, thank you for the advice, Takahashi-san."

"So does this mean you'll listen to your heart and not the words of your dad?"

"I'm afraid you're mistaken." Chouko's expression returned to its original stoic state. "You advised me to not be afraid in surpassing my father in the business. I was initially afraid of doing that, but now, I realize there is nothing wrong with outdoing the efforts of the generation that came before you."

"Wh-What?!" Takahashi mentally face-palmed. "Tha-That's NOT what I was talking-"

"Again, thank you for the advice, Takahashi-san." Chouko resumed her trek towards her father's room. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must have my rest. A long day is coming upon us and I must be prepared for whatever lies ahead. I recommend you do the same. I bid you a pleasant rest of the night, Takahashi-san."

She walked up to the door, opened it, walked into the room, and closed said door behind her, leaving behind a displeased and irritated but hopeless Takahashi.

"Good night to you too," he snarled.

* * *

_ **End of Day Four** _

* * *

**Unknown location  
** **Hours later**

"Where...Where _am_ I?..."

Chouko looked around, mixed feelings of frustration and fear racing through her mind as she tried to absorb her surroundings. For some reason, she was standing in a vast, almost infinite field of sunflowers. She didn't know how she got to this place; the last thing she remembered was going to sleep in the chair at her father's bedside. She thought she was dreaming, but the environment felt _too real_. She was certain it wasn't a dream, nor reality however.

Just then, she instinctively looked up and saw numerous glowing white objects fluttering down to the ground. At first, she thought they were snowflakes, but as they neared the ground, Chouko was able to take a closer look at them and identified them for what they were.

"Feathers?..." she asked.

"Hello, Chouko."

Chouko yelped in shock as she twirled around and saw a girl standing a few feet away from her. She was wearing a creamy-white school uniform and sported golden eyes and long, flowing silver hair, much like hers. However, those characteristics didn't catch Chouko's full attention. No, not by a long shot.

It was the pair of large, silver wings sprouting majestically from the girl's back, giving her a striking resemblance to an angel.

"I've been expecting you," continued the girl as she smiled kindly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it looks lots of stuff happened in this chapter, big stuff, and we finally have an honest-to-heart interaction between Otonashi/Takahashi and Kanade/Chouko! Too bad that moment didn't last long, but it looks like Chouko might now be confronted by her past life! Whatever shall happen next from all of this? Find out in the next chapter! :D
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this particularly thrilling chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	12. My Most Precious Treasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely apologize for the long wait for this chapter. School hasn't exactly been very kind to me, what with all the tests and work I had to devote half of my brain to. And then there were the other stories in my roster at FanFiction.Net that I had to work on. And then, there was my overall laziness. My workload's definitely rubbing off on me the wrong way. Oh, woe is me.
> 
> Alright, enough of this chitchat! Onward with the chapter! ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: WARNING! My writing's not the best here and it's a bit shoddy in several places, as it's been a while since I last got back to this story. Reader beware!

**CHAPTER 11: MY MOST PRECIOUS TREASURE**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

* * *

"Who...Who _are_ you?" Chouko asked incredulously, staring at the silver-haired girl with the pair of silver wings on her back. She knew this had to be a dream somehow.

And yet, why did the environment still feel so real?...

"Who am I?" the girl replied. She gave Chouko a tiny but recognizable smile. "I am your past, your present, and your future." She took a step forward. "I am you."

Chouko's eyes widened in shock. "You're...You're _me_? But...But I do not wear that kind of school uniform...and I _certainly_ do not have those wings on my back."

"That is true. You are not me...but I most certainly _am_ you."

"What in God's name are you talking about?" Chouko then stepped forward, her brows furrowing and her fists clenched. "Tell me, stranger, what is going on here?! I wish to know why I am standing in this place! How I got here! If I am even dreaming this! I demand an explanation!" In an uncharacteristic move that surprised even her, she stomped her foot on the ground and yelled out, "NOW!"

However, the girl closed her eyes and widened her smile slightly, giving Chouko a cheerful expression.

"Do not worry, Chouko. You will get your answers soon. But not now. I am afraid now is not the time, for you will be able unable to process the information well."

Chouko blinked rapidly, feeling her head spin from the confusion. "What kind of information?!" she demanded, her panic and frustration at the odd and random situation rising. "Tell me, what is it?! I do not care what kind of information it is, I just want to learn it!"

Then, to her surprise, the girl began to approach her. Chouko wanted to step away and maintain their personal boundaries, but something within her told her to hold her position. Before she knew it, the strange girl was standing inches away from her, their faces dangerously close. The two pairs of golden eyes locked on to each other and stood still for the longest time, transfixed on each other. Chouko became nervous by the invasion of personal space, but the other girl remained calm and collected, as if this wasn't a bother to her at all.

Finally, the girl gave Chouko a tight hug, surprising her. For some reason, Chouko felt as if the other girl was surprised by this move too, no matter how natural it felt.

"I am just glad that I could at least get to meet you in person," the girl said. "I am so glad."

"Uhhh...thank you, I guess?" Hesitantly, Chouko raised her arms and returned the hug awkwardly, petting the girl's wings (her hands couldn't exactly reach her back).

After a few seconds, the girl parted the hug and gave Chouko the same cheerful expression.

"Tell Yuzuru I said hi. Tell him that I miss him so much, and that I never stopped thinking about him, ever."

Chouko blinked. "Yu..._Yuzuru_? Who's Yuzuru?"

"Hand Sonic."

A blade materialized on the girl's hand, and she charged towards Chouko before the latter could even have enough time to react.

She felt something pierce her chest-

* * *

Chouko jerked her eyelids open on instinct, and the first thing she saw was her father, still asleep on his bed, clad in a hospital gown. She rubbed her eyes and looked around to examine her surroundings. Upon taking in every detail of the room, she remembered that she was still in Nishitōkyōchūō General Hospital...

And not in that strange field of sunflowers...with that girl...

Chouko placed her hand on her chest, directly over her heart. She knew that was where the girl stabbed her with that blade of hers. The white-hot pain she felt for a split-second was no longer there, but she could still feel the sensation of that girl hugging her...

She lowered her hand and gazed at her father's sleeping form solemnly. Her eyes softened at the sight.

_"It was a dream,"_ she thought to herself. _"It was just a dream..."_

* * *

**April 29, 2026**

* * *

**Nishitōkyōchūō General Hospital  
** **Nishitōkyō, Japan**

Takahashi stepped out of his room and walked down the hallway, freshly dressed and surrounded on both sides by police officers. Walking in front of him was Sergeant Madoka Igarashi, the police officer who was in charge of the investigation into the cult. The moment the two locked eyes with one another, Takahashi could tell that they weren't going to be the best of friends in a long while. He could sense an unpleasant, intimidating aura around the sergeant, and he knew Igarashi had the same feeling. Those feelings were confirmed the moment Igarashi introduced himself, and his voice was laced with an obvious tone of sarcasm.

As he continued walking down the hallway, Takahashi glanced to the side and saw Junna approaching the door into Sadahiro's room, preparing to step inside. Then, she stopped and looked across her shoulder, spotting the redheaded teenage boy. He blinked at her, and she just stared back. He could tell she wanted to say something, but couldn't given the severity of the situation. Hey, he was being escorted under armed guard!

But he could tell what she wanted to tell him. Whatever it was, it had something to do with Chouko, and how he seemed to be getting her to open up. He clenched his fists at that thought, realizing now that Chouko was in an extremely horrible situation and she couldn't get out of it for the sake of her family. Man, he pitied her. He actually pitied her! But he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

Suddenly, after a long while, Junna simply nodded at him. He blinked, then nodded back at her as he passed her. The redhead watched as the maid then opened the door and ventured inside Sadahiro's room without looking back. Takahashi then sighed longingly and stared straight ahead again.

"Listen, Takahashi," piped Igarashi suddenly, catching the redhead's attention, "let it be known that we're not taking you and your family to another location and give you new identities, all of that crap you kids see in spy movies. But don't you dare think you're free to do whatever you want because of that. There are still limitations."

Takahashi frowned nastily. "Well," he replied, "considering I'm being targeted by a group of psycho killers and freaks, can't say I'm all that surprised."

For some reason, this prompted Igarashi to stop and twirl around abruptly to look at Takahashi straight in the eye.

"Listen here, Arata Takahashi," the sergeant said sternly, "you may treat me condescendingly, like I am just some deadbeat cop, but I am not. I'm one of the few people who is looking out for your well-being, and I think you should respect that."

"Yeah, well, I'll start respecting you once you drop the tough-guy act! You don't scare me in any way!"

"So you mean to tell me this situation doesn't scare you either? Even though you were attacked by one of them?"

Takahashi's frown became more pronounced. "That kid was just a punk who idolized those freaks and was looking for some attention, not the real thing! I don't think I have any real reason to be fazed just yet, man."

Igarashi scoffed, turned around, and continued walking. "I can tell you're not taking this whole thing very seriously."

"Dude, did you miss the part about the group of psychos trying to kill me? I AM taking this whole damn thing very seriously!"

At this point, the group reached the elevators. Igarashi was smirking grimly and rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, says the hero wannabe who got himself attacked while valiantly protecting his friends," he replied. The two officers at Takahashi's sides both chuckled mockingly in accompaniment, causing Takahashi to turn red in frustration. "Next time you get yourself in a tight situation, let the professionals take care of it, rather than try to punch your way out of things you can't fully understand, like an idiot."

"Are you calling me an idiot, man?!" roared Takahashi.

Moments later, he felt an abrupt surge of pain shoot into his brain. Crying out, he clutched his head and held it, as if trying to stabilize his brain. Igarashi looked at him, but smirked subtly in response and turned back towards the elevator doors as they slid open.

"Don't get yourself worked up too much," the sergeant said while stepping inside. "_Man_."

Takahashi growled in absolute annoyance, but then suddenly felt one of the officers nudge him roughly towards the elevator. Sighing in defeat, he followed Igarashi inside and watched in dissatisfaction as the doors slid themselves shut.

_"Man, what a pain in the ass,"_ he thought angrily. _"I'm gonna be protected by _this guy_? I'd rather be protected by a five-year-old with a loaded gun!"_

* * *

As soon as the elevator doors slid open again, the four stepped onto the ground floor. The officers signed Igarashi out and stepped outside of the hospital, at which point Igarashi received a phone call and had to excuse himself. Watching the sergeant leave, Takahashi couldn't help but feel more relieved than he had been in a long time.

"Yo!" a voice called out. "Yo, dude with the red hair! Over here!"

Takahashi turned his head towards the direction where the voice came from. Seconds later, he spotted a familiar face...and at that moment, his eyes widened in shock, and his jaw dropped open.

It was the muscular teenage boy in Akihabara, the one who somehow pick-pocketed him during that shopping trip. Mutsuto Fujikawa.

"YOU!" he roared, startling everyone within earshot.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Mutsuto exclaimed, his hands shooting up like a criminal about to surrender. "There's no need for violence and aggression, dude!" He flashed an innocent smile that made Takahashi sick to the stomach. "Just love and kindness!"

"Love and kindness, my ass!" Takahashi pointed at the teenage boy accusingly. "You're the goddamn bastard who pick-pocketed me back in Akihabara!"

"I pick-pocketed you?" Mutsuto raised an eyebrow. "How in the world did I pickpocket you? I was in front of you the whole time! Surely you would've noticed my arm going towards your pocket or something-"

"I don't care how you did it! You still pick-pocketed me!" He glared at the officers standing at his sides. "Officers, arrest that guy for robbery!"

"Well, we can't arrest him yet, Takahashi," one of the officers replied as he approached Mutsuto, who for some reason still remained calm. "We have to check for physical proof that a crime was committed."

"But I just said-" began an outraged Takahashi.

"Your word is not the law, Takahashi," interrupted the other officer sternly. "When exactly did this pick-pocketing crime take place?"

"A couple of days ago, in Akihabara."

"Well, I know the police division there didn't receive any reports of pick-pocketing during that time," replied the first officer as he had Mutsuto empty all of his pockets.

Takahashi's skin paled considerably upon hearing that response. In his frustration at the situation, combined with the joy and excitement he had been experiencing with the Hashimotos, he didn't think to file a report to the Akihabara police. In anger and disbelief, he slapped his forehead with his palm.

"Unbelievable!" he exclaimed. "Unbelievable, unbelievable!"

"Well," piped the first officer as soon as he was done examining Mutsuto, "this guy doesn't even have a single yen on him."

"UNBELIEVABLE!"

Mutsuto blinked and stepped forward. "Yo, you feeling alright, man?" he asked. Then, he cleared his throat and clarified, "You know, I saw you being wheeled into the hospital the other day, along with the Hashimotos and some other people. It looked pretty serious, man. What happened?"

"I'm afraid that's sensitive information at this time," a new voice said sternly, and Takahashi didn't know if he should feel relieved or not at the reappearance of Igarashi. "We will not be answering those questions or any others pertaining to this situation. So please-" He suddenly gave Mutsuto a scarily serious expression that kept the teenage boy surprisingly rigid. "Keep your distance, and have a nice day."

"Y-Ye-Yes, o-of course!" stuttered Mutsuto.

"Also, please give Takahashi his money back."

Mutsuto's eyes widened, and Takahashi couldn't help but smile in relief that someone actually believed him.

"Wh-WHAT?! B-But I don't have anything on me-"

"I've seen you always hanging around the dark corners of this hospital, and you always return with food and items during the breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours, which tells me you're homeless and you've called this hospital your home, likely because it is a symbol of safety and homeliness, given people are saved here with each passing minute. Your rugged and muscular look also tells me you've been homeless for quite some time now, but you are literate enough to indicate you received an adequate amount of education before hitting the streets. However-" Igarashi proceeded to scan Mutsuto. "Your clothes look brand-new, well-cleaned, and straight out of a high-end fashion retailer."

At this point, Mutsuto's squinting eyes were widening as much as they could with each and every word Igarashi spoke. Takahashi could tell the sergeant was being spot-on in his guesses, and he found himself grinning even more, impressed at Igarashi's capabilities in deduction.

"Given the predicament of most homeless people, I doubt you were able to find a job, otherwise you would be bringing in receipts with the items you supposedly bought. Of course, a number of people don't take receipts, but those people don't also bring with them a ridiculous amount of change, given the price of the items you usually bring back to your quarters. Which tells me you've resorted to _stealing_ as a method to survive a lifestyle on the streets."

Mutsuto blinked in shock. Then, he nervously cleared his throat and tried to put up a calm and collected demeanor, but Takahashi could tell Igarashi had gotten to him.

"Good guesses, Mr. Cop," the teenager replied. "But none of that proves anything. _Especially_ the part about me having good ole Takahashi's money."

"Well, that part's easy." Igarashi pointed at Mutsuto's breast pocket. Sticking out of it was the end of a yen banknote. "When Officer Sekine missed your breast pocket-" The first officer blushed in embarrassment at this mention. "You glanced at Takahashi on instinct, as if hoping he wouldn't see it. Your posture relaxed once you realized he was too caught up in the realization of his stupidity-"

Takahashi's eyes widened. "HEY!" he snapped angrily.

"-And you looked down at the pocket, and the banknote, protectively. Now, this could also mean you were relieved when he wouldn't see that banknote because you thought there'd be a misunderstanding, but believe me, at this point, money means nothing to young budding thieves who use it to unfairly buy things they don't deserve. I've seen it before. I once ran a sting operation against a group of pick-pocketing teenagers, and we found that they were just wasting all of their stolen yen on useless junk. They indiscriminately spent all of their yen without a care for it. I've never seen anything like it. All they cared about was the stuff they bought. You've got the same spark of material satisfaction in your eye, the same spark I saw in those stupid kids."

Igarashi leaned close towards Mutsuto, a look of satisfaction on his face. "That's how I first figured you out, kiddo. The spark in your eyes. Everything else came soon after that. Now, give the money back to Takahashi, and I'll see to it that you can cut a deal with the prosecutors."

"R-Really?" asked Mutsuto nervously, his shell breaking.

"Yes. Just give the money back."

The teenage boy shakily retrieved the banknote from his breast pocket and gave it to Igarashi. However, his pupils were darting back and forth from side to side, as beads of sweat began to drip down his forehead.

"Y-You see, I, uh-" he began.

"Where's the rest of the money you owe Takahashi?" asked Igarashi.

"I, uh...I spent it..."

"YOU WHAT?!" roared Takahashi. "YOU SPENT ALL OF MY GODDAMN MONEY?! YOU BASTARD!" He tried to charge towards Mutsuto, but was stopped by the two officers guarding him. "YOU GODDAMN **BASTARD**! I SPENT GOOD HOURS WORKING FOR THAT KIND OF MONEY, AND YOU JUST STEAL IT FROM ME AND THEN SPEND IT?!"

However, Igarashi sighed and shook his head in disapproval. He reached into his pocket and procured a pair of handcuffs.

"You're under arrest for-" he began, but before he could continue, a small canister landed on the ground between him and Mutsuto. Seconds later, it began to spew smoke, and Igarashi covered his eyes and nostrils on instinct. "SMOKE GRENADE!"

Takahashi and the two officers shielded their faces from the smoke as well. Mutsuto immediately seized the opportunity to dash into the smoke and away from the scene unnoticed. A couple of minutes later, the smoke quickly cleared away, allowing Igarashi to approach the canister, pick it up, and examine it.

Seconds later, he pursed his lips and snarled, "It's just one of those prank toys. Nothing that could do us any harm."

"But the bastard got away!" snapped Takahashi in frustration.

"Maybe so, but at least it confirms one more thing."

"And that is?!"

"The boy has an accomplice." Igarashi then shrugged and handed Takahashi the banknote. "It doesn't matter. A couple of teenage troublemakers are nothing compared to the case at hand. Officer Sekine!"

"Yes, Sergeant Igarashi?" replied Sekine, still embarrassed that Igarashi exposed his lack of attentiveness.

"Put out a community alert for a muscular brown-haired boy with squinted eyes and wearing fashionable clothing. I want him arrested on sight."

"Y-Yes, Sergeant!"

Sekine left for the police cruiser that was waiting a few yards away. Meanwhile, Igarashi turned towards Takahashi, and the two locked eyes for a moment. Takahashi couldn't help but feel a little mystified at this police sergeant now. He was clearly a good cop, probably one of the best in his occupation, in spite of the redhead's initial assumptions. However, it was also clear that this sergeant didn't like him one bit, and he didn't know why.

_"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to find out the hard way?..."_ he thought bitterly as he watched Igarashi whip out his cellphone and dial a number.

* * *

**Nishimura Household**

"Thank you again, Naotatsu-kun, for watching over my siblings."

Kimiko and Naotatsu walked through the local park, watching as Kaisei excitedly ran down the fields of grass with Tamika in pursuit. Behind her, both teenagers could hear Naomi trailing right behind them, still texting on her cellphone. At the corners of her eyes, Kimiko noticed the pair of bicyclists, the picnicking couple, the man flying his kite, even the elderly man walking down the hill with his fake cane, all giving her attentive stares.

"Hey, anything you want, I will give, Kimmie," Naotatsu replied. He then looked around, surveying his surroundings. "You know, your, ahem, personal guard may have its benefits, but it really doesn't help make any of our conversations..._private_..."

"I wish I could do something about it, Naotatsu-kun," said Kimiko, shaking her head disapprovingly. She turned her head to stare at the elderly man, who pretended to stumble on a rock, "but a protective detail is a protective detail. I've got psycho cultists breathing down my neck."

"Yeah. So...how're you holding up?"

"Surprisingly well."

"I was talking about...Hashimoto." At the corner of his eye, he saw Kimiko's eyes narrow. "Look, I know you're a bit torn up about this, so-"

"It's nothing, Naotatsu," Kimiko interrupted suddenly. "I know I got close to digging up something, but after that attack on Hashimoto Manor, I realized that I may have gotten more than I bargained for." She then looked at Naotatsu and smiled at him. "It's okay, really. There's no need to worry about me."

He arched an eyebrow. "Really? Are you sure about that? Because I know how upset you were with the media coverage of that cult. I know you, Kimmie. I especially know that you wouldn't drop something like this so easily-"

"Well, you clearly thought wrong, Naotatsu," Kimiko interrupted in a harsh voice. When she saw Naotatsu flinch a little at the sternness of her tone, she looked down at the ground in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Naotatsu-kun. I...I didn't mean to speak to you like that. That was uncalled for. I'm so sorry."

The boy's eyes softened in concern. "Kimmie, I'm sorry, but you're just gonna have to let that whole thing with Hashimoto go. What the media's done is irresponsible, and more than likely fueling this cult's actions, but it's the media we're talking about. They have to inform the public, and sure, they unnecessarily saturate the details, all for the sake of ratings, but we can't do anything to stop that. When the cult goes away, the media is just gonna find something else to hype up, good or not. And we can't do much of anything to stop that, maybe outside of another protest."

"You're right. Hashimoto may have a large stake in the media, but if his company's reporting policies are stopped, it doesn't give other news outlets incentive to follow their lead." Kimiko narrowed her eyes angrily. "It's no longer about the public. It's just about ratings. Ratings, and nothing else. Who cares if a couple of people are killed because someone's impressed by the coverage in the wrongest of ways?" She abruptly stopped, prompting Naotatsu to stop as well. "I had him, Naotatsu. His secretary was gonna tell me something, something important! But thanks to this protective detail, I can no longer learn anything from anyone regarding Hashimoto!"

"Look, it's for the greater good, Kimmie-"

"Yes, I know, but I just can't get it out of my mind! What was she gonna tell me?!" She clutched her forehead in distress. "Ohhh, I just wish I could know..."

Naotatsu merely watched and shook his head sadly at his friend. She really did get caught up in her efforts to undermine the policies of Hashimoto Communications...

Then, at the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of pink. Turning his head, he smiled in relief, glad to find an excuse to turn the subject away from Hashimoto and the cult.

"Ah, Ginga-kun!" he cried, waving his hand. "Yumie-chan!"

The two Matsushina siblings turned their heads toward Naotatsu's direction; apparently, they were in the middle of a serious conversation. However, all seriousness disappeared from Ginga's face, replaced by a wide, youthful smile. The boy walked briskly towards Kimiko and Naotatsu, his pink-haired sister shyly, silently following right behind him.

"Hey, Kimiko, Naotatsu-kun!" Ginga replied. "I didn't expect to see you guys here!"

"Same here," said Naotatsu. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Well, I thought I'd show my silly little sister here some socialization skills. She's still not getting around with other people." He promptly wrapped his arm behind Yumie's neck, and she hiccuped softly in embarrassment as she diverted her gaze away from Naotatsu. "Come on, Yumie, say hi to Naotatsu-kun. You remember Naotatsu-kun from the Global Awareness Club?"

"Mm-hm," replied Yumie in a nearly inaudible voice.

"Come on, say hi."

Naotatsu had to restrain himself from chuckling. If he didn't know any better, it was more like Ginga was a new, doting father trying to convince his shy, wary daughter to say hello to a stranger she barely knew. It was almost adorable to even absorb.

In fact, he found Yumie to be the epitome of adorable. Ever since she first joined the Global Awareness Club, she had to be guided by the other club members in the ways of socialization and participating in club activities. Her brother, while a club member too, was barely around, and Naotatsu subsequently took it upon himself to teach Yumie the ropes. Barely any progress was made, but he could tell the shy pink-haired girl was warming up to him a little in the process.

After all, the first time they met, Yumie just fainted straight away.

"Come on, Yumie-chan," prodded Ginga. "Say hello."

"H-H-H-_Hi_..." Yumie stuttered.

"There ya go! Now that wasn't too hard, wasn't it, Yumie-chan?"

Yumie merely nodded, prompting Ginga to look up at Kimiko.

"Hey, Kimiko!" he greeted. "I'm, uh, I'm sorry your little undercover operation at Hashimoto Communications didn't go so well. But hey, I guess it's for the best. I mean, you were nearly killed by those whack-jobs, after all. You don't wanna have another brush with death, am I right?"

However, the magenta-haired teenage girl merely stared back at her friend with a highly disappointed and conflicted expression. She remembered that Ginga and Yumie's mother was recently promoted to a position in Hashimoto Communications. Whatever Toro planned to tell her, Kimiko knew it was something big, something that could probably bring the foundation of the entire company to its knees. But if that were to happen, then...

"No, Ginga-kun," she replied. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? For what?"

"Look..." Kimiko hesitated for a moment. "Naotatsu-kun told me about it. The whole thing about your mom getting a promotion at Hashimoto Communications. It must be an important job, isn't it?"

At first, Ginga looked back and forth between Naotatsu to Kimiko, with Naotatsu giving his friend an apologetic look. Apparently, Ginga never expected him to indulge the details to Kimiko. However, after a while, he seemed to shrug it off, for he delivered a wide, genuine smile towards Kimiko.

"Yeah, it's a pretty important job," he replied. "Pretty important, actually. For once, we don't have to worry about the amount of money we have to pay to have our house fumigated or repaired or anything of that other stuff." His eyes softened. "But I do understand why you wanted to do that, Kimiko. I mean, after the crazy stuff that went down with your mother and all... It's understandable."

At the mention of her mother, Kimiko clenched her fists as all of the..._terrible_ memories came flooding back to her. Her fists began to tremble as she stared at Ginga, who was looking at her with a surprisingly casual and unnerved expression. She couldn't believe he had the nerve to mention her mother like that, when it was still a difficult topic for her! What bothered her was that he himself didn't seem to be bothered by what he did! The nerve of him!

And...And _crazy stuff_? THAT was his way of wording what happened to her mother?!

...

With much effort, she exerted self-discipline just as she always taught herself back then. After a couple of seconds, Kimiko managed to calm her nerves and returned Ginga's smile in kind.

"Thank you...for understanding."

Ginga nodded before checking his wristwatch. "Oh, well will you look at the time?! Yumie and I gotta go. We're supposed to meet up with our parents soon!" He took Yumie's hand, drawing a surprised squeak from the pink-haired girl. "Come on, Yumie-chan, let's go."

"O-Okay," stuttered Yumie nervously.

"Alright. Well, I'll see you, Kimiko, Naotatsu!"

Kimiko and Naotatsu tried to respond, but Ginga was already half-dragging Yumie away. Both teenagers blinked in surprise as they watched the siblings go, Yumie looking particularly uncomfortable with her brother ushering her away. Then, once they were out of sight, Naotatsu looked back at Kimiko.

"That was weird," he said. "Never seen Ginga look so rushed before." Then, Naotatsu realized Kimiko didn't seem to be listening to him; the magenta-haired girl was staring distantly down at the ground. "Kimmie? Hey, Kimmie? You okay?"

"No..." Kimiko suddenly replied forcefully. "He...He mentioned my mom... He didn't seem bothered by it all..."

"What's wrong with that, Kimmie?"

"Does he not know that that's still a sensitive topic for me?! And...'crazy stuff'?! He actually describes IT **THAT WAY**?!"

"I'm pretty sure he didn't mean in that way, Kimmie-"

"LIKE HELL HE DIDN'T!" interrupted Kimiko.

Suddenly, she felt her knees buckle, as the horrible memories returned to her, mixing with her present emotions. Her mother, the cult, Hashimoto... It was all too much for her to handle. Without any warning, she collapsed to the ground on her knees. Naotatsu's eyes widened in concern.

"Hey, hey, Kimiko!" he exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders in case she would fall down any further. "Kimiko, calm down!"

The girl glared at her friend angrily. "Calm down? _Calm down_? You're telling me to calm down?! After what happened back there?! And you just expect me to calm down?!"

"Look, in spite of what Ginga says, he definitely understands why you did what you did-"

"No, no, he doesn't. He wouldn't forgive me just like that! I could've gotten his mother laid off from her job, and you know how his family's always been so poor! He's just so happy that I wasn't successful! Now he and his family can go off and live on the stupid luxuries that are brought by dirty money!" She suddenly tore out blades of grass from the ground and threw it violently. "It's dirty money, all of it! And it just gives people power and entitlement! It's because of this broken system that people like Hashimoto get away with doing whatever they want with their companies, and...and..."

She finally went silent, allowing Naotatsu to speak again.

"Look," he said, "I know you're still tearing yourself up over what happened to your mother. I get it; money sucks and it's the reason why your mother can't get the justice she deserves. And it's hard to move on, I know."

"How would you know? You always just look at a problem and laugh at its face. You're strong. ...I'm not."

Naotatsu's eyes widened. He immediately grabbed Kimiko's shoulders, directed her so she could face him, and stared deeply into her eyes.

"Don't you dare say that!" he exclaimed. "You're strong too, Kimiko! You've always been a strong person!"

"No, no I'm not! If I was strong, then I-"

"You'd be raising your sisters and brother like they were your own children, you'd be running a club of teenagers tackling social issues, you'd go on a crusade to try and stop the news from reckless reporting, you'd come out of an attack by a psycho cult unscathed, and you'd especially make lots of friends! Friends like me!" He gestured to himself. "Those are things you've been doing all along, Kimiko! And lo and behold, you're turning out just fine while doing so! Sure, you have your triggers, and yes, you do have your breakdowns. But at least they don't occur frequently and you're not a nervous wreck 24/7! Why do you think that is so, Kimiko?" When she didn't respond, he cupped her face with his hands and brought it closer to his. "Answer me, Kimiko. Why do you think that is so?"

Kimiko blushed at the close contact, and she looked away as best as she could, prompting Naotatsu to continue.

"It's because you're _strong_, Kimiko. It's because you're you. You're Kimiko Nishimura, proud daughter, sister, and friend! I know life has been hard for you ever since your mother died, but look at you! You're here, and not in a mental asylum or, even worse, dead! You're still here, with people there to care for you!" He then paused for a brief moment and sighed heavily. "Kimiko, I would know how hard life can be because...I had a sister... She's...She's dead too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, again, shoddy writing is shoddy. But at the time I originally posted this chapter on FanFiction.Net, I had just returned from an eight-month hiatus on the story, so my writing was guaranteed to be a little rusty. Don't worry, it improves by the next chapter.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this incredibly late (and shoddily written) chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	13. Secret Developments

**CHAPTER 12: SECRET DEVELOPMENTS**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

* * *

**Takahashi Household  
** **Nishitōkyō, Japan** **   
**

Takahashi sweat-dropped at the almost foreign sight before him. Here he was, sitting on the kitchen table, a bowl of food in front of him, watching rather awkwardly as his mother serviced him and the police officers that were protecting him. It was rather odd, seeing his mother being extremely hospitable towards those officers, even being excited and jubilant at their presence. She hadn't been so happy in her entire life, and Takahashi assumed it was likely because of the severe lack of guests in their home. After all, the Takahashi family was not technically an unpopular family in the neighborhood, but it wasn't exactly one that stood out in any way, completely unremarkable.

Maybe that was what made the sight rather odd. The fact that there were actually _guests_ in the home, even if they were police officers. There were actually people who registered the family's existence. And it was making his mother happy to know that.

"Another, Takahashi-san!" one of the officers shouted, raising his empty bowl. Takahashi sighed heavily; for some reason, the two took a great liking to his mother's Mápó dòufu recipe, of all things.

"Oh, already?" the woman replied, an eyebrow raised in confusion, though it was obvious she was enjoying the attention regardless. "Alright, another bowl of Mápó dòufu coming up!"

"I must say, Takahashi-san," the other officer said as she took his partner's bowl, "you are quite a natural at this. You should consider opening up your restaurant."

"Yeah!" exclaimed the first officer. "I'll come on the opening day and be a regular, no doubt about it!"

"Oh, you two are such darlings!" Takahashi's mother blushed in embarrassment. "I thank you for the unconditional praise."

"No, we thank you for being so hospitable to us while we do our jobs."

Takahashi heaved out another sigh.

"Sekine, Kuramoto!" a voice called sternly, causing the two officers to stiffen.

Well, it was entertaining while it lasted.

The two aforementioned officers immediately stood up from their chairs, just as Igarashi stepped into the kitchen.

"Yes, Sergeant!" they both replied, as if they were instead soldiers in the middle of a training exercise.

"It's your turn for outside patrol," Igarashi said. Then, he frowned disapprovingly. "Unless you're not finished drooling over Takahashi-san's Mápó dòufu..."

"No, Sergeant!" cried Kuramoto, his face turning florid. "We're done with our affairs here!"

"We're ready for outside patrol, Sergeant!" Sekine added.

"Then you're excused."

"Of course, Sergeant!" exclaimed Sekine. Then, he turned to Takahashi's mother, smiling kindly. "Please keep that Mápó dòufu warm, will you?"

"Why, of course, Officer Sekine!" the woman replied, smiling kindly at him and Kuramoto. "Thank you again, for protecting me and my son."

Sekine and Kuramoto both nodded happily before leaving in high spirits. Takahashi couldn't help but roll his eyes. It was as if they were a couple of children waiting for their mother's best recipe. Then again, these were the same cops who he found asleep at the door of his hospital room in the dead of the night while holding a box of donuts. He could not expect anything less from those particular officers.

He glanced at Igarashi and could tell the sergeant was displeased at the on-duty behavior of his inferiors.

"Rookies," the sergeant whispered softly. "They do not know where the leisure ends and where the job begins, and they wind up taking advantage of the trust a civilian has in us..." Then, he locked eyes with Takahashi's, and his lips pursed sternly. "Do you have something to say, kid?"

"No," replied the teenage boy, his voice almost a snarl.

"Then redirect that gaze elsewhere." Igarashi turned his body towards Takahashi. "Listen here, Arata Takahashi, I know you don't like me. Believe me, I don't like you either. But it doesn't matter to me. Regardless of my personal emotions, it is my job to protect the people of this city, and I will make no exceptions, even for a hero wannabe like you. So please, be grateful that you're under this protective detail. It's either that or being strewn all over the ground, mutilated and dead from whatever unimaginable atrocities those cultists have come up with as punishment."

Takahashi gritted his teeth and stared at the kitchen in search of his mother, hoping she would support him. However, she was gone, having likely went off to attend to another household chore while his attention was on Igarashi. This left him alone with the unpleasant police sergeant.

_"Man,"_ he thought bitterly. _"How I'd give to have whoever's protecting Hasumi right now..."_

Putting on a smile so fake even the local idiot could recognize it, the teenager said between clenched teeth, "There's food and drinks in the fridge if you're interested, _Sergeant Igarashi_..."

Registering Takahashi's sarcastic tone, Igarashi's eyes narrowed in response, but then, he nodded in courtesy and left the kitchen. Once the sergeant was gone, the teenager exhaled and took another spoonful of the food in his bowl. He put it in his mouth-

And immediately spit it out afterward.

"WHAT THE?!" he cried. Upon examining the bowl's contents, he couldn't believe it. "M-_Mápó dòufu_?... But...But I didn't ask Mom to make this for me! I would never ask her for something like this crap! It must be one of the officers'..."

Then, Takahashi stared at the bowls Sekine and Kuramoto were using, only to find they were already empty. He blinked in utter confusion.

"Huh?"

* * *

**Nishitōkyō High School**

"My freaking _God_, I can't believe I actually _missed_ this stupid place!"

Takahashi groaned loudly and followed the dozens of other students onto the school grounds, all the while feeling the attentive gazes of the janitor scrubbing the nearby brick wall, the new P.E. teacher setting up the sports equipment, and the father dropping off his daughter, who turned out to be Igarashi. (And yes, the 'daughter' was also an undercover police officer.) Takahashi thought the police department was taking it a little too far when it came to protective details.

He scanned the groups of students, hoping to find Hasumi so he could chat with her, preferably without the presence of Noriya Noguchi. Not unexpectedly, he didn't find her.

But he did see someone else interesting.

"Oi!" he cried in surprise. "Kimiko!"

The magenta-haired girl turned her head towards him. Her sea-green eyes widened in shock.

"Arata-kun?" she asked.

"Whoa, no way!" Takahashi ran up to her and scratched his cheek in confusion. "Did you transfer here or something? Is it part of your protective detail?"

Kimiko blinked. "What're you talking about, Arata? I've always been a student at this school." She then put her hands on her hips, a disappointed expression appearing on her face. "Do you mean to tell me you've never noticed me around here, not even once?!"

"Well, don't blame me! I've never known you until you started working at my workplace! How was I supposed to know you go to the same school as me?!" He then pointed a finger at her. "And what about you? You're just as guilty as me! You definitely looked surprised when I approached you!"

Kimiko opened her mouth to issue a snappy retort, but she realized he was right and closed it.

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." she replied. "You're absolutely right..."

Once the tension between them died down, Kimiko suddenly stuck out her outstretched hand towards Takahashi.

"Huh?" The redhead raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"For saving me, back at that shed. I never got a chance to thank you, so this is my way of thanking you."

"Oh." Takahashi smiled and took her hand, shaking it. "You're welcome."

"It was a very stupid move, Takahashi."

The boy frowned and gave her a deadpan look. However, Kimiko giggled in amusement.

"But it worked out in the end, I'll give you that. I owe you one."

* * *

Once the bell rang, Takahashi was the first student to step out of his classroom and into the hallway. Hours of listening to boring, droning lectures intensified his hunger, and now that it was lunch, he had the perfect opportunity to relieve himself of such strong cravings. It was a good thing he had a bento box; he was not a big fan of buying food that wasn't made by him and his mother. Unless it came out of a high-end restaurant or the Hashimoto kitchen.

...

Man, he missed living in that mansion. It had only been a week since he was put in protective custody, but already did he feel signs of wealth withdrawal, if he could call it a legitimate condition. He missed the luxury bedroom, he missed the great food, he missed all the cool rooms he could find there, he missed that secret garden with the complicated mazes, he missed Chouko-

He immediately shook off the last part. There was no way he could miss Chouko, right?

Then again, he _did_ feel bad for her when he realized she couldn't follow her real dream because she was being held back by her father's unreasonably high expectations.

But on the other hand, Chouko was so submissive, it was extremely annoying. Every time he thought about it, Takahashi found that a part of himself didn't care if that emotionless, poker-faced girl with the silver hair had to suffer because she just couldn't speak up for herself.

And then, there was that part of him that really did pity her...

_"Man, I have to stop thinking about her,"_ he thought, rapping his knuckles against his temple. _"She's no longer my host. Her family affairs are not any of my concern."_

"Hey, Arata!"

Takahashi looked over his shoulder and saw, to his relief, Hasumi standing a few feet away from him. Then, he frowned after seeing Masako, Hitomi, and Saori standing right behind her. Masako looked very upset, while Hitomi and Saori looked rather apprehensive.

"Wanna eat lunch with us?" Hasumi asked, raising a bento box of her own.

"Hasumi, no!" moaned Masako. "We can't let losers like _Mr. Average_ mingling with the likes of us! His average-ness is gonna rub off on us or something!"

An eyebrow twitching in displeasure, the pink-haired girl promptly elbowed her friend in the stomach lightly.

"Masako, be nice. Takahashi's always eating alone at school. Now we wouldn't leave any of our fans out on their own just because they look like losers, would we?"

Masako bit her lip reluctantly. "No..."

_"Thank God for you, Hasumi!"_ Takahashi exclaimed happily in the confines of his mind.

Hasumi faced the redhead again. "So, whaddaya say, Arata? There's room at our table!"

Takahashi was about to respond in the affirmative when something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Staring over Saori's shoulder, he saw Kimiko walking off alone down the hallway, her head hung low. She seemed to be heading towards the staircase leading upstairs. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and then, something in his mind instinctively clicked.

"Sorry, Hasumi," he replied, "but I actually have other plans."

"Other plans?" Hasumi arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Since when did you have 'other plans', Arata?"

"Actually, I'm all in for that!" exclaimed Masako, looking immensely relieved. "Go attend to your other plans, Mr. Aver- OOF!"

Hasumi lowered her elbow and continued, "You sure, Arata?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine," Takahashi replied, smiling. "Thanks for the offer though, Hasumi. I'll be sure to take it up some other time."

He then ran past the four girls and towards Kimiko, whose back was faced towards him. Takahashi hesitated for a moment, pondering why he was doing this, but then decided to shrug it off and go with his natural instinct.

"Hey, Kimiko!" he called. "Kimiko!"

The magenta-haired girl stopped and turned around. "Oh, Arata-kun," she replied. "Is there something you need?"

"Well..." Takahashi scratched the back of his head. "I was wondering...where you were gonna eat lunch..."

"Up on the roof. Usually I'd eat in the cafeteria with my friends but..." She paused and looked out of the window, her gaze distant. "I just wanted to have some alone time for a bit. Just to clear my head on some things."

The redheaded boy blinked. "Oh. I see." Reluctantly, he turned around. "Well, if you want some alone time, then I-"

"Wait."

Takahashi turned around to face her again. "Yeah?" he asked.

Kimiko was staring up at him, hesitating. He could tell that she was experiencing the same feeling he just experienced: confusion as to why she was doing this. Then, just like he did, she seemed to shrug off that feeling.

"Actually, I was wrong. I could use some company." The magenta-haired girl raised her bento box so Takahashi could see it. "Wanna eat with me?"

For some reason, he smiled at her like she was a lifelong friend.

"Sure. I'd love to."

* * *

Takahashi and Kimiko sat on the roof of the school, eating out of their bento boxes. All the while, they were conversing as if they were friends since childhood, even though it was technically their first meeting outside of work.

"This protective detail sucks," Kimiko said.

"Tell me about it," replied Takahashi as he chewed on his rice. "I happen to be stuck with these two cops who can't watch over a mouse if their lives depended on it."

The girl blinked. "Are they that bad?"

"Yep. While I was still in the hospital, I found them asleep by my doorway after having a donut binge. Must've been fun for them." The redhead sighed. "And to make matters even worse, I'm stuck with this stuck-up police sergeant. Igarashi, the name was."

"Igarashi?" asked Kimiko, blinking in surprise.

"Yeah. Why? You know him?"

"Well, not personally. I met him at the hospital. He was talking to Hashimoto about protective custody. I'm pretty sure he's the officer in charge of field operations of all our protective details." The magenta-haired girl took a bite out of her shrimp. "Why? You don't like him?"

"He's got a real thing going against me for some reason. It's fair to say it's mutual, though. He's probably not a pleasant person at home."

Kimiko shrugged. "He seems like a nice person. He's very nice to my family whenever he stops by for a visit."

"Yeah, well, you're not me. Of course he's gotta be nice to you. But I'm a special case to him, apparently."

"Uh-huh." Kimiko plucked out a piece of shrimp with her chopsticks. "So, uh...tell me a little about yourself, Arata-kun."

"Ah, you're not missing out on anything interesting in my life." He made a dismissive gesture with his chopsticks. "Everyone's right; my life _is_ average."

"Don't say that about yourself, Arata. Everyone is not average. Everyone is special. They're just special in their own way." Kimiko rested her chin on her hands, smiling in eager anticipation. "Come on, spill all the juicy details."

Takahashi looked at Kimiko, surprised that she wanted to know so much about him. Then, he smiled and set down his chopsticks.

"Well, I live in Nishitōkyō, as you already know. One of the older neighborhoods, to be exact. It's just me and my mom."

"What happened to your dad?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know. He wasn't around when I was born. Every time I ask my mom about him, she'd change the subject, and it would be the end of the conversation." He frowned upon registering what he had just said. "Now that I mention it... Every time I bring up the topic, this look comes into her eyes. I don't know how else to describe it, but hollow. Whatever happened between my parents was obviously bad enough that my mom withheld everything about my dad from me."

"Oh, God." Kimiko prepared to say something else, but she seemed to think about it. Then, she asked, "I've never met your mom. What's she like?"

"Oh." Takahashi shrugged again. "She's a good cook. I'll give her that much. But she's got a thing for Mápó dòufu, and guess what? I hate Mápó dòufu."

"Why? Mápó dòufu's delicious!"

"Let's just say the taste doesn't agree with my tongue. Anyway, back to my mom, she keeps treating me like I'm still a little kid, and it's annoying. I love her and all, but she's also one of the reasons I can't wait to get out of the house, get rich, and buy a mansion. That way I won't ever have to rely on her again. Everything will be in the palm of my hand."

Kimiko's eyes narrowed at the last sentence. "You sound like Hashimoto..." she muttered.

"Well, it's true. With endless reserves of money, my problems will become fewer in numbers."

"Money is never endless. And it alone won't give you the power and lifestyle you want, Arata. It's just money."

"But it's better than having no money at all." Realizing the conversation was getting tense, Takahashi took another bite of food before asking, "Anyway, enough about me. What about you?"

Kimiko blinked nervously. "What about me?" she asked.

"Surely you've got juicy details about your personal life that you'd like to share." The redhead's eye twinkled. "Unless you wanted to learn all that stuff about me so you could consider me as a boyfriend-"

"AS IF!" The girl then cleared her throat and continued calmly, "Well, I've got three siblings. Two sisters and one brother. I'm the oldest sibling in the family."

"Three siblings? Man, I can't imagine what life would be like for me if I had just one younger sibling. It'd probably be very annoying."

"No, no, having little siblings is probably the best thing anyone could ask for. Kaisei's such an adorable boy, so full of life and innocence. If the two of you met, he'd take a liking to you in an instant. Tamika is very nice and soft-spoken, but she's real good in kendo too, so you'd better watch out if you upset her. And Naomi..." She heaved out a heavy sigh. "Naomi... She used to be such a sweetheart too..."

"Why? What happened to her?"

"Well, see...our mom died a couple of years back..."

"Oh. I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's okay. Anyway, Mom's death hit all of us, but it hit Naomi the most. The two of them were pretty close. After what happened, Naomi, she retreated to her bedroom for most of the day and eventually found computer games. Since then, she's become addicted to them. Then, she joins up one of their social clubs, and it happened to be a part of the mean side of the community."

"And I'm guessing that mean side rubbed off on Naomi, huh?"

Kimiko sighed again. "Yeah. Now she doesn't treat me with any respect. She doesn't even recognize me as her big sister anymore."

"Oh, man. That...That sucks."

"Yeah." She laughed hollowly. "Yeah, I guess it does."

"What about your dad? Is he still with you guys?"

"Yeah. He didn't remarry, so I don't have any stepmothers or stepsiblings that I can mention. Because of his job, he's always out of the house for most of the day, and I had to fill my mom's shoes in taking care of my siblings."

Takahashi raised an eyebrow. "Wow. That must be very difficult to do at times."

"Yes, it is, but as long as it's for my siblings, then I'd be willing to do anything." She looked at Takahashi with a serious expression. "If there's one thing I'd hold true to my heart, then it's this fact: I'd do anything for my siblings, especially if it meant guaranteeing their safety."

"From wackos like the cult?"

Kimiko's eyes narrowed into slits. "Yes, _especially_ from them."

An awkward silence fell upon them. The two teenagers took a few bites from their respective lunches before Takahashi decided to ask another question.

"So...exactly how old are your siblings? Just asking."

"Well, Kaisei's eight, Tamika's thirteen, and Naomi's fifteen. Naomi actually goes here too, but naturally, she avoids me." Kimiko sighed once again and looked across her shoulder, focusing on the fence lining the perimeter of the roof. "She's always in some shady area of the school with her shady friends."

Takahashi blinked. "Exactly how shady are these guys?" he asked.

"You could consider them the Goth types. They're wearing all-black and always smoking something. Naomi hasn't smoked a single cigarette; I can tell from her daily aroma. But it wouldn't surprise me if she eventually got into it."

"The Goth types?" The redhead shuddered. "Man, I think I know who you're talking about, Kimiko. I've passed by that group a few times ever since I got to this school. They're a really creepy bunch of students."

"Yeah, but of course Naomi won't understand that." Kimiko forcefully set her chopsticks down in her box. "Apparently, they understand her better than I do."

Suddenly, her eyes softened considerably, prompting Takahashi to ask, "Something wrong?"

"No." She hesitated briefly, looking reluctant. "Actually...yeah."

"Don't tell me you think your sister has a point."

"Actually, she kinda does." Kimiko looked down at the concrete floor forlornly. "Even when I don't have school, I spend about half of my days supervising a school club. I assume you've heard of the Global Awareness Club, Arata-kun?"

Takahashi pondered over the question for a moment, then replied, "I've heard talk about it around school, but I never really listened in on it. I wasn't that interested." He then quickly added, "No offense."

"None taken."

"So, what does this Global Awareness Club do?"

"Well, our purpose is to bring awareness of certain topics to the school."

The redheaded teenager blinked in confusion. "I haven't been hearing any talk about these certain topics, even if I was interested enough to listen in..."

Kimiko chuckled hollowly. "Yeah, well, that's kinda because we immediately expanded our interests to the rest of Tokyo after the club's founding. You might as well call us a ragtag group of teenage activists who are willing to bend the laws to get a point across."

"Sounds awesome," Takahashi replied sarcastically. Then, his voice turned serious, and he stared into Kimiko's eyes determinedly as she looked up into his. "Well then, maybe that's why you and Naomi have problems. Maybe that's why she's hanging with those Goths so freely. Maybe you should probably focus less on that club and more on your sister. Reconnect with her. Show her that you really care about her and that you're still her older sister."

"If only I could. But there's a lot of stuff the club has to deal with right now-"

"Oh, really?" interrupted Takahashi. "I can't imagine any big issues nowadays that needs exploiting by your club."

"Oh, you've got _no idea_..." Kimiko whispered to herself inaudibly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing. Issue or no issue, the club still gets busy."

"Don't you have anyone who can fill in for you while you take some time off? A member of that club, one who you trust?"

"There's Naotatsu-" Her voice suddenly broke, and she stopped talking for a moment. Then, Kimiko continued, "Yeah, I guess I could talk to him..."

"That's good." Then, Takahashi leaned forward and patted her shoulder, much to his surprise and that of Kimiko's. "Who knows? Maybe this could be good for you. You and your sister."

"Well, since you say it so nicely, Arata-kun." Kimiko flashed him a kind smile. "I guess I'll do it." Then, an idea suddenly came to her mind, and she snapped her fingers. "Hey, I've got an idea!"

"What kind of idea?" Takahashi asked as he took a scoopful of rice and began chewing on it.

"You should join the Global Awareness Club!"

The boy suddenly choked on his rice, spat it out in the opposite direction, and began coughing and hacking violently.

"Wh-_What_?!" he croaked. "_Me_, join _your_ club?!" He then shook his head. "No, no, you don't have to do that, Kimiko."

"Well, of course I do! You're my friend. And you don't have much friends outside of Hasumi, right?"

"Yeah, that's my life..."

"Well then, if you're gonna help me with my problems with Naomi, then I might as well return the favor and help you with your social skills! Don't worry about being left out in any way; everyone's nice in the Global Awareness Club. No one's gonna ignore or judge you there. There'll be no one who will call you Mr. Average."

"Oh, thank you for the generosity, Kimiko, but I don't think I can be able to do it."

"Why not? It'll be good for you! You only work your paperboy job on the weekends, right?"

"Yes, that's true, but-" began Takahashi.

"Then going to the Global Awareness Club should be absolutely no problem to you schedule-wise!" interrupted an enthusiastic Kimiko.

"I don't know, Kimiko..."

"Just try it out, Arata-kun. Try it out for a day, that's all I ask in return." The girl whipped out her cellphone and began a text message. "I'll tell Rikana-chan about it."

"Rikana?"

"The secretary of the club." At that moment, Kimiko finished her message and sent it. "Alright, sent." She looked back at Takahashi and noticed his nervous expression. "Look, I'm telling you, Arata-kun, there really is no need to worry. I doubt you'll feel uncomfortable in the Global Awareness Club."

"Yeah." The redhead smiled nervously. "That's kinda what worries me the most about this whole thing..."

Kimiko raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute, so you're worried you will become _comfortable_ in the club? That's the first time I've heard such a thing. Why?"

Takahashi sighed heavily. "It will become too good to be true. And whenever things become too good to be true for me, they wind up being taken away from me without warning, before I learn to appreciate what I've got. Just like with that trip to Hashimoto Manor."

"Oh." She narrowed her sea-green eyes. "You're still hung up over that?"

He nodded sadly. "Yep. It was so awesome, and then some cult had to ruin everything for me. I was living the high life, and then, boom. It's all gone. All in a flash."

Kimiko pursed her lips, something that Takahashi easily noticed.

"But of course you wouldn't understand," he continued. "You despise the wealthy, even if you were living among them."

"I would respect them if more of them would take the time to donate a good amount of their money to those in need. Just because they have all that money does not mean they're above the law and can look down upon people who they deem to be inferior. I really wish you would have someone better to look up to, Arata-kun."

"Well, there's no one. My life's been a crap-fest, and I would definitely like to go from rags to riches. It's my only way of living a fulfilling life."

"You know... I think you're missing the point..."

"The point?" asked Takahashi. "The point about what?"

"The point about your current life. I think that there's a lesson behind it..."

"What do you mean? What the heck is the lesson of a terrible, terrible life like mine?"

Kimiko smiled softly. "That you've gotta appreciate what you've got, no matter what it is. Because you'll never know when it'll be taken away from you, all in a flash."

* * *

**Mitaka, Tokyo**

Igarashi walked down the streets of Mitaka, his hands in his pockets, his eyes narrowed as he focused on the path ahead. Compared to all of the other pedestrians in the street, he was the only one wearing formal clothing, and anyone could easily identify him in a large crowd. In fact, some pedestrians stared at the police sergeant with looks of curiosity, wondering why he was out in the middle of the day wearing a nice suit when a number of businesses here were just local ones.

Finally, after hours of walking, he reached his destination: an American fast-food restaurant. Stepping inside, his attention was immediately caught by the raised hand that was waving frantically at him.

"Igarashi-kun!" a female voice called. "Igarashi-kun, over here!"

Igarashi's expression didn't waver as he approached a table at the farthest corner. Seated at the table was an astoundingly beautiful woman with sleek black hair and purple eyes that shone like amethysts; she was wearing a formal suit like he was. Smiling, the woman lowered her arm as Igarashi sat down in the chair opposite to her.

"You know it's impolite to keep a lady waiting, Igarashi-kun," she said. "I waited a couple of extra hours for you, and I think I gained some weight while enjoying some food in your absence. Why couldn't you just take the train?"

"I'm not a big fan of trains," Igarashi replied. "How are the Hashimotos, Fukayama?"

The woman smiled sweetly. "Always serious and quick to the point, aren't you, Igarashi-kun? Well, just as you instructed, we've changed their identities and physical appearance and had them situated in the safe-house you selected. You know, you have a strange taste in art. Those apartments sure have a strange design-"

"The Hashimoto family is known for its appreciation of high culture, conservation, and formality," interrupted Igarashi. "The cult will never expect them to take shelter in something so outlandish. ...How about their well-being, physical and emotional?"

"Well, the Hashimotos are definitely not pleased with their current living conditions, just based on the architecture of their new residence alone. But they're cooperating with our instructions nonetheless. I must say, Sadahiro Hashimoto is quite calm for a man whose wife is either dead or in captivity."

"He's still trying to keep up the tough-guy look, make himself look good in front of others in spite of the situation." The sergeant shook his head slightly in disapproval. "But it's bound to collapse on him eventually." Igarashi inched his head upward. "What about Chouko Hashimoto?"

Fukayama's eyes softened. "She's been very quiet, moreso than usual. She hasn't had any interaction with anyone ever since we moved her into those apartments. I guess that's because she doesn't have any maids or butlers to go to now, and her father is distant while her mother is missing and possibly dead. She absolutely doesn't have any means of socialization at all..."

Igarashi narrowed his eyes upon hearing that response. Due to the severe threat looming over the Hashimotos, he ordered all of their affiliations, no matter how slight, to be cut. That meant those three kids that were under Sadahiro's watch had to be sent home under protective detail, while the Hashimotos' house service employees all had to be dismissed and sent to other locations in the Tokyo Metropolis for their own safety. This included Junna Ukiyo and her son Fuuta, both of whom were very close to Chouko, as Igarashi had noticed. But unfortunately, nothing more could be done about it. Ensuring the safety of many innocents mattered more than securing the integrity of a few friendships.

As a result, Chouko Hashimoto was left without a friend in the world...

"I see," the police sergeant replied calmly, without emotion.

Fukayama smiled slightly. "You're so cold, Igarashi-kun."

"If any officer takes an investigation personally, no matter the degree, then the integrity of said investigation is compromised."

"Mm-hm. You know, Igarashi-kun, I heard something interesting from Komatsu."

"Really? Enlighten me, Fukayama."

"Apparently, you're building a bad rapport with one of the children you're watching over. Arata Takahashi."

Igarashi's eyes narrowed at the mentioning of the name. "Yes, I have had some unpleasant run-ins with that boy."

"And what was that you were saying about compromising the integrity of an investigation?" replied the female officer, her tone playful and teasing.

"I am not taking this personally." Igarashi's pupils darted towards the window. "I am just not satisfied with that boy's attitude regarding the whole situation."

"Really? Enlighten me, Igarashi."

The sergeant glared at his colleague, who merely smiled sweetly back at him. He gave a sharp snort, then burst into explanation.

"Arata Takahashi does not understand the severity of his predicament. I watched over every witness interrogation following the Hashimoto Manor attack, and everyone who was interviewed said this boy willingly put himself into harm's way just to save a group of defenseless girls, like some typical shōnen protagonist."

"Sounds like someone I know..." Fukayama's eye twinkled. "What's so wrong about that, Igarashi-kun?"

"He doesn't know that if he dies, he will be living behind a mother. He didn't even know most of these people for a few days or weeks, and he suddenly felt entitled to protect them?" Igarashi narrowed his eyes further. "If there's one thing I don't like, it's the fact that people try to be heroes without even thinking of the consequences. Like it's easy to become one. It's definitely not that damn easy to become a hero. You work hard for it, you fight for the justice and safety of innocents, and you do all of that knowing the consequences of taking such a path. But most of all, you simultaneously fight to live yourself. Because if you die immediately, you won't be able to save anybody, and becoming a hero would be pointless. You have to know all of that, yet you still do it because it's the right thing to do, even if it kills you in the end. That's what a hero is about. This boy doesn't even have a shred of knowledge about it."

"I see." The female officer smiled and blushed. "You're so amazing, Igarashi-kun. Do you know that?"

Igarashi closed his eyes. "Please don't say that, Fukuyama."

"No, it's true! You're really, really amazing." When Igarashi sighed heavily, she added, "And you've got humility to boot. Yet another thing amazing about you. No wonder why the junior officers all look to you at the precinct." Then, Fukuyama started fidgeting nervously with her fingers. "So, uh... Have you thought about what I told you last week? Do you have a response for me?"

Igarashi blinked once. "No. I'm still thinking about it, Fukayama."

Though Fukayama continued to smile, a sad overtone came over her bright and cheerful expression as she deduced the true meaning behind Igarashi's words.

"I see."

"Order number thirteen!" another voice called from the cashier's counter. "Order number thirteen, you're up!"

"I guess that's me." Fukayama stood up and bowed her head respectfully at Igarashi. "Enjoy the rest of your day, Igarashi-sama."

When she prepared to walk towards the counter, Igarashi called out to her, "Hey, Fukayama."

The woman stopped and turned around, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Yes, Igarashi?" she asked.

"Watch yourself with the fast food. I'd rather prefer it if you didn't gain weight."

Igarashi then stood up and left, with Fukayama's eyes focused on him as he went. He never looked back, so he missed the implicit smile that appeared on her face.

As he stepped out of the restaurant and took a left, heading back the direction from which he came, Igarashi narrowed his eyes menacingly as an image of Takahashi flashed across his mind, almost taunting him. He had to restrain himself from the punching the object closest to him.

He chose to not tell Fukuyama this, but there was another reason why he disliked Arata Takahashi, above all else. Yes, the boy's foolish, reckless, childish disregard of his own life for the sake of mere heroics was the factor that provoked his dislike of him. But this last, greatest detail served to bind all of that together and haunt his mind without prejudice, as if fate chose to taunt him.

Yes, he disliked Arata Takahashi because that boy HAD to look like _him_...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now we learn a little bit more about Sergeant Madoka Igarashi, including his reasoning for disliking Takahashi so much. Kinda ironic, huh? And it looks like Takahashi may or may not be joining Kimiko's club, which may or may not have a few familiar faces... ;)
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	14. Reversible Destinies

**CHAPTER 13: REVERSIBLE DESTINIES**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

* * *

She was back in that place again. But this time, she wasn't bothered by it. It was probably because she had gotten accustomed to the strange environment through her multiple visits. The vast field of sunflowers. The clear, blue sky. The white feathers fluttering down to the ground all around her. She had to admit, being in that place was rather peaceful. She could stay there forever, without having to be judged or looked down upon...

Chouko Hashimoto turned around, and her eyes widened at the sight before her. It had been a while since she saw that girl, though.

"I-It's you," Chouko said, trying to maintain her cool.

"Yes, it's me," the girl replied, giving her that small but kind smile of hers. "Please, don't pretend you're not afraid of me. I know you are. It's okay."

"It's okay? It's _okay_? You..."

** _"Hand Sonic."_ **

** _A blade materialized on the girl's hand, and she charged towards Chouko before the latter could even have enough time to react._ **

** _She felt something pierce her chest..._ **

"You_ stabbed_ me!" exclaimed Chouko.

"Not really. I just made you wake up. A sudden jolt always pulls you out of a dream. It's not like you can die here."

Chouko blinked, and she examined her environment. "So...this _is_ a dream..."

"Yes, it is. But it is also reality."

"That's impossible. A dream cannot also be a reality! That's just psychologically impossible!"

"That is true, Chouko. A dream cannot be reality as well. For you, this is a dream. But for me..." The girl stepped forward, and before Chouko knew it, a hand was being placed on her chest, directly over her heart. "This is reality. And we're standing on the line that separates the two concepts. But it looks like that line is fading."

"What're you talking about?" Chouko asked, but she didn't sound tense and defensive. Instead, she seemed mystified by what she was learning.

However, the girl's smile widened ever so slightly, and she shook her head, her silver hair fluttering as she did so.

"I'm afraid I can't say anything further, Chouko."

"Why not?! Why can't you tell me anything?! I don't know what's going on here!" Chouko narrowed her eyes at her strange doppelganger. "Who _are_ you, if you claim to be my past, present, and future, and yet not me? Who is Yuzuru? What is your connection with him? What is this place, and why do I keep coming here in my dreams? Why do I feel strange around Takahashi?" In her desperation, she grabbed the girl's uniform and brought her closer, though the girl wasn't bothered by it one bit. "What is going on?!"

The girl sighed and closed her eyes. "I see you really want answers."

"Yes, I do. I don't understand anything right now."

"And I don't think you ever will." The girl removed Chouko's hands from her clothes, their grip having softened seconds ago. "Even if everything is explained to you, there will be a part of you that will never comprehend this."

"Well, I will try. Just... Just tell me."

The girl's golden eyes glimmered with an unknown emotion, and she took a step backward.

"I guess I do owe you one answer. For now."

"One answer?"

"Yes." The girl's smile widened even more. "I never got a chance to properly introduce myself. Given the time I have, I will gladly give it to you. My name...is Kanade."

"Kanade?" Chouko repeated.

The girl nodded. "Yes. Kanade Tachibana. I think you'll be able to learn a lot from that."

Chouko blinked, puzzled. She could? "How?" she asked. "I-I don't even know where to start!"

"You're a smart girl, Chouko. You'll figure it out."

Then, the girl, Kanade, glanced towards the horizon. Chouko followed her gaze, and realized what she was looking at: a magnificent, beautiful sunrise. The golden light of the sun was bathing the entire field of sunflowers, giving the impression of a golden glow in this surreal environment.

"I guess our meeting is over," Kanade said before looking back at Chouko with an expression that seemed happy and sad at the same time. "It was nice to meet you again, Chouko. How I wish we could continue talking like this. But now, I believe it is now time for you to wake up."

Chouko blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Wake up, Chouko," the girl replied softly. "Wake up."

* * *

"Chouko, wake up."

The silver-haired girl forcefully thrust her eyelids open, and the first thing she saw was the sunlight. Then, once her eyes adjusted to the light, she found herself staring into the stern eyes of her father. Sadahiro's frown of disappointment immediately straightened into one of indifference as he walked away from her bedside. Chouko sat up on her bed, absorbing her surroundings for a moment. Sadahiro noticed this and glared back at her.

"We have no time to waste, Chouko," he said. "Igarashi-san has arrived. He wishes to see the both of us."

Chouko's attention was piqued in an instant.

* * *

**The Reversible Destiny Lofts  
Mitaka, Tokyo  
Two months after the attack on Hashimoto Manor**

Chouko stepped out of her bedroom, sporting a new look. First off, she was wearing some of the new clothes given to her by the police months earlier: a simple white dress with a light-blue jacket, along with a golden necklace with a fake locket. Also, to further reinforce her disguise, her flowing silver hair had been cut to her chin's length, with the tufts at the back of it styled into a small ponytail. The officers said these alterations were done in case the Hashimotos had to be evacuated from the apartment complex and taken into the outside world, but Sadahiro never saw the necessity for that, and neither did Chouko. As such, the officers assigned to them were relegated to the tasks of delivering the necessary materials to them.

Chouko prepared to step into the main room, but stopped for a moment to examine her reflection in the nearby mirror. She never liked her new look, but of course, it was absolutely vital if she were to avoid a second attack from the cultists. For a moment, Chouko imagined Junna doting over her new appearance, with Fuuta making a witty, sarcastic comment about it.

She missed them. Junna... Fuuta...

First, she heaved out a sigh. Then, she put on a straight, indifferent expression and continued walking. Upon stepping into the main room, she found Sergeant Madoka Igarashi and Senior Officer Risa Fukayama, the high-ranking police officers watching over them, both seated on a sofa, while her father sat on an opposite armchair, looking a bit uncomfortable. Two other officers were standing attentively by the main doorway, though one looked like he was about to doze off. Fukayama was the first to notice Chouko enter, and the policewoman smiled at her sweetly.

"Ah, Chouko-chan," she greeted. "Good morning. Have a seat!"

"Good morning, Fukayama-san," replied Chouko indifferently.

Fukayama blinked at the silver-haired girl's lack of emotion despite the situation, but she remained quiet as Chouko sat down on another chair, situated directly next to Sadahiro's. Once the girl was settled in, Igarashi cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Alright, you two, I have an update on the investigation. We processed your entire home for evidence-"

"I'm hoping you didn't tarnish any paintings that survived that fire," Sadahiro interrupted, his tone bitter.

Igarashi continued indifferently, "_Including_ the paintings that survived the fire. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any forensic evidence indicating the identities of any of your assailants. However, we did find a piece of hair belonging to the teenager who attacked you in that shed, which confirms his identity as Fuyuhiko Ezakiya. We could not find him at his grandparents' house, so we assume he's on the run, now that people know who he is and what he has done. But don't worry. We have every officer in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department working 24/7 to look for him, and your protective detail will still be in place."

"And what about the cultists themselves?" Sadahiro asked. "How did they manage to find me at my home?"

"Reporters have often converged to your mansion in the past. I do not doubt the possibility that these people simply recovered old news footage pertaining to you. Besides, given your position, it's not like your address is something that can be kept private."

"I see... Well, do you have any idea on their whereabouts?"

"Evidence shows they all fled in cars after the attack on your home. We tried using traffic cameras to track their movements, but it appears every camera in the vicinity was down for twelve hours. However, no repairs were scheduled for any of them, and we never found any visible signs of external tampering. From this, we fear they have someone who infiltrated the surveillance infrastructure."

"I see." The businessman leaned back on his chair, twiddling his fingers absentmindedly. "Could it be possible this cult has insiders in every organization of Tokyo's infrastructure? Say, even law enforcement?"

Igarashi blinked. "Do you mean to tell me that you believe one of those cultists has infiltrated the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department?"

"This cult may believe in a twisted, delusional ideology, but they are obviously smarter than they let on. They're perhaps smart enough to plant spies in all of the right positions. For all I know-" Sadahiro's eyes narrowed menacingly at the police sergeant. "-you may be a spy yourself..."

"That's impossible!" Fukayama suddenly exclaimed, standing up in outrage. "Igarashi-kun-" She briefly stumbled on her speech. "I mean, Igarashi-san wouldn't think about working for those maniacs, not even in the slightest!"

"Fukayama, settle down," Igarashi said calmly, giving her a stern glare that seemed to convey a mental message to her. Realizing he was serious, the female officer became silent and sat back down on the sofa, allowing Igarashi to refocus on Sadahiro.

He continued, "Hashimoto-san, if I really were working for that cult, you and your daughter would've been dead already. You've both been in hiding for two months now, with me overseeing your every movement. The two of you have been in many positions of vulnerability, more times than I could count. I have even been alone with you two several times before. I have had many chances to strike, all of which I could've taken, and yet, I didn't, not even once.

"Now, you may assume it's because I'm just keeping up appearances, or because I'm merely surveillance for the cult and not an assassin sent to finish the job. Either way, everyone who comes in and out of this apartment is searched and checked thoroughly, no matter the rank of the officer. Even I am subject to these personal searches. If anything was found on me, a weapon or a wire, you would've known about it firsthand.

"But you'd naturally assume that you weren't alerted to such discoveries because your entire protective detail is working for that cult. But that is technically impossible, since the cult is too secretive, devoted to its beliefs, and isolated from society that it wouldn't bother to send in a lot of its members to infiltrate even one organization. Not to mention its members are usually disorganized, psychopathic, and even delusional. Definitely not things a police department looks for in its employees.

"Now then, if all of the aforementioned doesn't indicate my trustworthiness, then tell me, Hashimoto-san, what does?"

The entire room was silent, with every stare directed towards Igarashi, who remained calm and composed during the entire explanation. The two officers guarding the door appeared outwardly awed, Fukuyama was beaming at her superior, Chouko blinked in surprise, and even Sadahiro looked stumped. Then, Sadahiro recomposed himself and cleared his throat.

"Even so, that doesn't change the fact that there might be a police officer in cahoots with those psychopaths. Maybe he could be part of this protective detail." Sadahiro then gave a suspicious glare towards Fukuyama. "Or _she_..."

Fukuyama's eyes widened, surprised by the implication of his accusative words. However, before she could speak, Igarashi spoke up in her place, his voice still calm and composed as it always was.

"If Fukuyama was a member of that cult, then I would be the first to know. The same goes with all of the officers involved in this operation."

"I understand you're frightened about this whole situation, Hashimoto-san," Fukuyama added, "but you have to put your utmost faith in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. This cult is our number-one priority, and we will not turn a blind eye to any detail, no matter how minor or how much damage it could deal to the entire department."

However, Sadahiro issued a snort upon hearing Fukuyama. "Frightened? _Me_? Sadahiro Hashimoto? Lady, you obviously have never dabbled in the world of business. See, bad revenue frightens me. Bad deals frighten me. Bad reputations frighten me. Psychopathic cults?" He scoffed mockingly. "They are the least of my worries. In fact, they're the last thing I should be afraid of."

"Perhaps they shouldn't be, Hashimoto-san," Igarashi said. "Perhaps you shouldn't underestimate them."

"Really. I shouldn't underestimate them." Sadahiro crossed his arms, his frown becoming even more pronounced. "Would you mind enlightening me as to why?"

"They've brutally killed dozens of people across the country already. They _did_ attack you in your home, in the dead of the night, when you insulted them and their beliefs. They burned about half of the manor down to the ground. They nearly killed your daughter. They took your-"

"It's nothing money can't replace," interrupted the businessman nonchalantly. "I'll have all of that fixed in no time once this crisis is solved." Sadahiro then stood up and straightened out his suit. "Which is why I urge you to put more effort into dismantling this cult, so I could attend to my company and its affairs once again. I can only imagine what those idiots I call the board of directors have done to it in these past three months."

"We'll do so, Hashimoto-san," Igarashi replied, once again calmly. He then stood up, followed by Fukuyama, and both officers bowed at him. "Thank you for having us."

"Just go find those bastards," spat Sadahiro. "And do it quickly. I've wait long enough as it is. I do not wish to wait another two damn months for you to do your jobs."

Igarashi and Fukuyama both nodded in response and left the room, though Fukuyama's twitching eyelid did not go unnoticed by Chouko. As they walked away, the silver-haired girl watched them go, trying her best to act disinterested, just like Sadahiro taught her. However, she couldn't help but feel outrage towards her father for talking that way to the people responsible for their protection. For the first time, she was actually _furious_ at her father for his behavior...

...Or perhaps, this was the first time she actually _noticed_ how furious she would be at her father for his behavior...

She took a subtle glance towards Sadahiro, who was pacing around the room, talking softly to himself and twiddling his fingers while his lips were pursed. Chouko immediately recognized it as the posture he always took whenever something stressful and unexpected came up. Whatever he was thinking, it likely had nothing to do with the grave situation they were both in...

** _"I never got a chance to properly introduce myself. My name...is Kanade."_ **

_"Kanade Tachibana..."_

On instinct, Chouko looked towards Igarashi and Fukuyama, who had both just nodded at their fellow officers before exiting the apartment room. She had been hoping to ask them (or just Fukuyama, to be more specific) to look up Kanade Tachibana in every record Japan had, but she then realized that doing so might be a breach of the officers' ethical responsibilities. And she didn't want to jeopardize their careers. No, she wasn't selfish like that.

_"I guess I'll just have to try it on my own..."_ the silver-haired girl thought.

She took one last glance at her father, only to see that he was still talking to himself absentmindedly and immersed in thought. Realizing he had nothing else to say to her, Chouko quietly stood up and left for her bedroom.

* * *

"Well, that was certainly pleasant."

"This is Sadahiro Hashimoto we're talking about, Fukuyama. Don't let his words affect you."

"Of course, Igarashi."

Igarashi and Fukuyama stepped out of the apartment complex, both wearing frowns on their faces. Igarashi's brow was wrinkled in concentration, while Fukuyama was utterly displeased at the previous conversation. Both officers eventually stopped and turned their heads to look back at the apartment, examining its outlandish design.

"You really did select an odd place for the Hashimotos to reside in, Igarashi-kun," remarked Fukuyama.

"It's just as I once told you," Igarashi replied. "The Hashimoto family is known for its appreciation of high culture, conservation, and formality. The cult will never expect them to take shelter in something so outlandish."

"I guess you're right..." Fukuyama then looked at Igarashi, only to notice his suspicious expression. "Igarashi-kun? Is... Is something wrong?"

"Hashimoto-san definitely doesn't have his priorities straight. He didn't care about the situation at hand. All he cared about was his company..."

"I know. It's sickening, isn't it? The way he doesn't even care about his family's well-being..."

"That's what gets me, though. He doesn't simply _not_ care about the situation. In a span of three months, his emotions about the entire predicament have remained unusually consistent. He's _way_ too unconcerned about it. He's not fazed about the possibility of dying at any time without a moment's notice. It's almost unnatural. Surely a businessman of his standing would also be worried if a cult was after his guts. After all, if he's killed by them, then who would control his company? Surely he's not ready to leave it behind yet."

"That's true." Fukuyama looked back at the lofts. "It _is_ strange..." Then, her eyes widened. "Wait a minute, you're not insinuating-"

"Of course, it could just be me and my dislike of wealthy moguls like him speaking." Igarashi turned around and continued walking, being followed closely by Fukuyama. "Nevertheless, I'm going to take another look at the situation. From a different perspective this time. Something doesn't feel right here. And Fukuyama?"

"Yes, Igarashi?"

"Do not say a word about this to the other officers. Not yet. I do not want this investigation to roll on something that's technically unfounded yet."

"Of course, Igarashi. I won't say a word."

"Thank you." He then looked at her, his expression unchanging. "It's rare to work alongside police officers that are more like you and less like donut addicts."

The woman's amethyst eyes widened. "Oh! T-Th-Thank you, Igarashi-kun! It means so much to me, for you to be praising me for my efforts!"

"You do not have to thank me. All you have to do is continue doing your job the way you're doing it right now. That's all you need."

"O-Of course!"

The next couple of minutes of their walk was spent in silence. Then, Fukuyama remembered something and looked back at Igarashi.

"I-Igarashi-kun?..."

The sergeant's pupils flitted towards her direction. "Yes, Fukuyama?"

"Did...Did you mean what you said back there?" A tint of bright, hot pink appeared on her cheeks. "I-If I was a member of the cult, then you'd be the first to know?"

"Of course. You've been working with me for years now. I'd know if you were involved in some sort of criminal activity."

"I see..."

The two officers continued walking, and Fukuyama couldn't help but smile. After all, despite his excellent reputation at the station, Igarashi was never close to any of the other officers there. But judging from his rhetoric, then she was the obvious exception...

_"Igarashi-kun..."_ she thought as she continued to blush brightly. _"If only you were this open to others. Why would someone as nice and gentle as you be sheltered and cold like this?..."_

* * *

Chouko waited patiently as the laptop Fukuyama personally gave her booted up. As she did, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. For once, she was doing something her father would never approve of: stick her nose into someone else's life. After all, it was extremely unbecoming for a Hashimoto to try to learn the personal, private, most intimate details of their customers' lives. And yet, Chouko also felt another emotion, one conflicting greatly with her guilt towards her rebellion against Sadahiro...

Exhilaration...

Once the laptop was activated, she clicked on the Google button. Though she had a feeling she might no find anything useful there, Chouko concluded that she would never leave even one stone unturned. As soon as the Google homepage came up, she typed the first thing that came to her mind.

** _Kanade Tachibana_ **

Hitting the 'Enter' button, Chouko then examined all of the results of her search. Naturally, a majority of the first results all had to do with the main character of some anime (Chouko had to admit, Kanade Tachibana sounded like the name of an anime character). Then, as she continued digging deeper and deeper into the search, all the while growing tired of seeing that anime's name over and over again, the title of one link suddenly caught her attention.

_ **Girl dies months after getting donated heart ...** _

The link was leading to an article by a newspaper, and in the excerpted summary, a name was highlighted: Kanade Tachibana. Her eyes widened when she realized the article was dated April 4, 2010.

_"Sixteen years ago..."_ she thought.

She clicked on the link, and the full article came into view...along with, to her absolute amazement, a photo of a familiar silver-haired girl, bedridden and pale.

It was definitely Kanade Tachibana...and yet, the girl was still a dead ringer for Chouko...

She began reading the article.

** _"Girl dies months after getting donated heart from JR East hero"_ **

_ **The story of Kanade Tachibana came to a tragic end yesterday when she died due to leukemia, just three months after getting a heart donated by the hero of the JR East Railway disaster earlier this year in January. Tachibana, who had a long history of health problems, required the transplant due to simultaneous heart failure.** _

_ **For months, the family was delayed from getting the transplant, due to a lack of available heart donors at the time. Doctors have stated that such a transplant was rather unnecessary, for it would expand her lifespan for only a couple of weeks before the leukemia became fatal.** _

_ **The family persisted, but their efforts initially bore no fruit. That changed in January, in the form of a newly delivered heart donated by Yuzuru Otonashi, the hero of the JR East disaster that killed all but ten people aboard a JR East Railway train. Otonashi, who was trapped in a tunnel with the ten survivors, was credited for his efforts in keeping the others alive, both physical and emotional. His last action before dying was allowing himself to become an organ donor. All of his organs were donated to a total of eight people, including Kanade Tachibana.** _

_ **Tachibana said after the transplantation, "I wish, from the bottom of my heart, that I could thank him. He worked so hard to save those people, to give them hope, and he is doing that even after death. I wish I could thank him."** _

_ **After the transplantation, Tachibana exceeded doctors' initial estimates, and lived three months longer than expected. But finally, she lost the battle with her leukemia, and died in her sleep last night, just before midnight. She was only sixteen years old.** _

** _Her mother, Harumi Tachibana, a manager at Mitsuishi Group's main office, said earlier today, "Before the transplantation, Kanade-chan was completely hopeless. After the terminal diagnosis, she desperately wanted to live. She no longer had any preoccupation with doing all of the things she missed out on her entire life; she just wanted to live. But by the New Year, she simply lost faith in that. My little Kanade-chan became so quiet, so hollow, so lifeless. She seemed to have already died in that period of time._ **

** _"Then all of that changed when Yuzuru Otonashi donated his heart. Since then, she became so happy, happier than she had been in ages, actually. We actually managed to take her out of the hospital to see the cherry blossoms bloom once. She always wanted to see that. I've never seen her so happy before in her life._ **

** _"And then, before she died, she told me that she was no longer afraid to die. She was that content. She never told me why, but I knew it was because that meant she would finally meet the man who saved her life. Yuzuru Otonashi. Now, I take comfort in the fact that wherever my Kanade-chan is, she has met that man, and thanked him for giving her a second chance, even if it was limited. And I thank him too. If it were not for him, Kanade-chan would have died living an unfulfilled life."_ **

There was more, but Chouko stopped reading. She simply couldn't continue. Her golden eyes wide in puzzlement and shock, the silver-haired girl quietly exited out of the article, set down her laptop, and collapsed on her bed.

She couldn't believe it. Kanade Tachibana, the strange girl she was seeing in her dreams, the girl that looked _exactly_ like her, was dead? Then...why was she seeing her in dreams in the first place? What did she have anything to do with Kanade Tachibana? She died sixteen years ago!

...Sixteen years ago...

Kanade died on April 3, 2010, according to the article. Chouko remembered her birthday being June 26, 2010...over two months later. That couldn't be a coincidence...

And then, there was the matter with this Yuzuru Otonashi person...

** _"Tell Yuzuru I said hi."_ **

_"Yuzuru,"_ Chouko thought. _"Could she have been talking about Yuzuru Otonashi?"_ Her golden eyes softened considerably. _"Does this mean...Kanade_ did_ manage to meet him in person and thank him for what he had done to save her life?"_ Then, her eyes narrowed in concentration. _"But...why would Kanade want me to tell Yuzuru she said hi? Does that mean this man is still alive? Or...is he cohabiting the unconsciousness of someone else, just like Kanade is doing with mine? Is it possible that I am not the only one experiencing these strange happenings?"_

She stood up and went back to her laptop. She had to find out more.

Upon returning to Google's homepage, she began typing furiously.

_ **Meeting dead people in your dreams** _

The search turned up links about such occurrences, but after scanning through the first results, Chouko didn't recover any useful information. All of the articles and forums were talking about meeting familiar, recognizable people in dreams, and she definitely never knew Kanade's name until her latest dream.

So, she decided to simplify her search options.

_ **Meeting people in your dreams** _

Chouko found some very interesting articles about the possibility of two or more people literally meeting and interacting through their dreams, called a meeting dream, but none of them were clear on if one of the participants could be dead. So she tried again.

_ **Seeing unfamiliar faces in your dreams** _

All of the results she scanned through offered a variety of explanations, but Chouko felt none of them answered her question. So she tried yet again.

_ **Seeing yourself in your dreams** _

Well, considering Kanade looked a lot like her, Chouko wondered if any of the results would answer her question there. But none of them didn't.

Chouko sighed angrily and collapsed back on her bed. She knew she was missing something, but she didn't know what.

** _"A dream cannot be reality as well. For you, this is a dream. But for me, this is reality. And we're standing on the line that separates the two concepts. But it looks like that line is fading."_ **

Upon remembering Kanade's response, Chouko went back to her laptop and continued typing.

_ **Line between reality and dreams fading** _

The first result was a discussion board called 'A Thin Line Separating Dream from Reality', which was on a forum titled 'Realm of Social Anxieties'. The result was dated January 15, 2026.

Earlier that year.

Her interest peaking by the minute, Chouko decided to click on it.

Chouko's golden eyes widened in surprise. The person who started the discussion was asking about scenarios where people have suddenly woken up from a dream feeling like that dream physically happened. He or she received some rather intriguing answers, even if they were few in numbers. In fact, the person received only three answers. She couldn't help but feel bad for the person who asked. He or she must not have felt satisfied by the responses at all.

Upon reading the third response, Chouko's eyes widened again. First, the post was dated May 1, 2026, just days after the attack on Hashimoto Manor.

Second, the username was HTachibana04032010.

_"Harumi Tachibana, April 3, 2010?"_ Chouko mentally asked herself. She then proceeded to read the response, her eyes paying attention to every typed word.

_ **I've never had dreams like that until weeks ago. See, my daughter Kanade died sixteen years ago, and I've been having dreams about her starting a couple of weeks ago. In every dream, I would meet her in a field of sunflowers while it's raining white feathers, and she would be there, telling me how much she misses me. I wake up every time knowing it's a dream, and yet, I always have the sensation of having touched those sunflowers and feathers. Like those were real. I also managed to touch Kanade in one dream, and I had the sensation of her skin on my hand after I woke up.** _

_ **You might be thinking that I'm just being emotional because my daughter is no longer with me. But the thing is, I've moved on from Kanade's death. I moved on a long time ago. I'm continuing to raise my family, I'm still working the same job with no professional problems, and yet, I do not understand why I've just started to have dreams about her, let alone dreams about her being in strange environments like the one I just described. I mean, I'm not having any problems in my life. I really am not. There is no crisis of any kind that I am experiencing.** _

_ **It's a very weird phenomenon, and it's a shame that you didn't get a lot of responses.** _

_"That has to be her,"_ thought Chouko. _"That_ has _to be Harumi Tachibana."_ She then pursed her lips and placed a finger on her chin broodingly. _"So, she's experiencing the same kind of dreams as I am?"_

The silver-haired girl exited out of Google, turned off her laptop, and sat down on her bed. She rocked her legs absentmindedly as she began to think deeply.

_"So, she's met Kanade. She met her own daughter in her own dreams, in the exact same circumstances as me, at around the same time as me. This really can't be a strange coincidence."_

Chouko's eyes narrowed, and she abruptly stood up from her bed.

"It's settled," she declared aloud. "She has answers, and I need to get them. I'm going to meet her."

"Meet who?" a voice suddenly asked. Chouko twirled around and saw Sadahiro standing at the doorway of her bedroom, looking confused. "Who has answers?"

"O-Oh, hello Father," Chouko replied, trying her best to remain calm. "I didn't notice you there. How long were you standing there?"

"Ever since you said that a woman had answers, that you needed them, and that you're going to meet her." Sadahiro's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How is this woman you're talking about, Chouko? And do not tell me you plan on leaving this apartment to meet up with her. Need I remind you-"

"I am well aware that I am not to leave the apartment without the express permission of Igarashi-san or Fukuyama-san."

Sadahiro pursed his lips, and he took a step inside the bedroom. "Do not interrupt me when I am talking, Chouko. Even if we are in hiding right now, the household rules still apply, and I expect you to treat me with utmost respect, as your father. Do I make myself clear?"

Chouko blushed in embarrassment, realizing she had actually interrupted her father in mid-sentence for the first time in her life. She had always been the good and well-mannered daughter Sadahiro expected her to be, never disobeying any of the rules he set down for her. This business with Kanade Tachibana was affecting her more than she realized...

Still, she bowed her head in shame and replied, "I am deeply sorry for that, Father. I promise you, it will never happen again."

"Good," Sadahiro said sternly. "Now then, back to the topic, who is this woman you were planning on meeting? And what exactly is the nature of this meeting?"

Knowing she couldn't just tell her father about what she looked up (after all, he would believe she was having a mental breakdown or something and reprimand her for it), Chouko instead blurted out the first name that came to mind.

"Fukuyama-san."

There was a brief silence. Then...

"Fukuyama-san?"

Chouko nodded affirmatively. "Yes Father, Fukuyama-san."

"You are aware that she left hours ago. You could've had your meeting with her when she stopped by."

"That is true. I realized that I forgot to discuss my matters with her when she was with Igarashi-san."

Sadahiro tutted. "Unacceptable, Chouko. A Hashimoto never forgets any events of importance for the day. First you interrupt me in mid-sentence, and now you tell me that you have forgotten your discussion with Fukuyama-san until it was too late? You are faltering, Chouko. This is completely unacceptable. Your ancestors should be ashamed of you for your deviant mannerisms of late."

Chouko bowed again. "I truly am sorry, Father."

The businessman's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He crossed his arms as he asked, "Now tell me, Chouko, what is the nature of your meeting with Senior Officer Fukuyama? What exactly was so important to you that it required the attention of her and only her, and not that of me or Sergeant Igarashi?"

Chouko knew she was being forced into a corner. Sadahiro was not going to stop asking her these questions, and she would definitely not hear the end of it if she came clean with her father and told him the truth. He would berate her for pursuing such a childish topic and instruct her to refocus her attention on more important matters.

But he didn't know what it was like to experience strange, recurring visions of a long-dead person who greatly resembled him. She had to find out what was going on.

And she didn't want him to be in the way-

"Oy, Hashimoto-san!" a voice piped; Chouko recognized the speaker as one of the officers stationed by their doorway.

Sadahiro grunted and turned his head out of the bedroom doorway. "What is it?" he asked. "Can't you see that I am busy at the moment?"

"You have a phone call from one of your business associates. Tetsuo Fuyuki, I think the name was. He says it's pretty important."

"Oh yes, Fuyuki-san... I'll be right there in a moment." Sadahiro turned his head back towards Chouko. "We'll discuss this matter at another time. I do hope you will have an answer to my question by then. Do you understand, Chouko?"

"Yes, Father..." The silver-haired girl bowed her head. She then heard Sadahiro step out of the room and leave.

Once she was sure her father was gone, Chouko raised her head back up and sighed in her mind, relieved that he was called away at the last minute before she was forced to tell him something he would never believe. Then, she glanced back at her laptop.

_"Harumi Tachibana..."_ she thought. _"According to that forum post, she's working the same job. According to that article, she was a manager at Mitsuishi Group's main office, which would be straight in Chiyoda. Now, she might've switched jobs immediately after her daughter's death and has since held down the new job steadily, so it's possible that she's no longer working at the office."_

Chouko's golden eyes narrowed as she continued to consider the options before her._ "Though...I_ can _visit the main office and try to learn more about her, see if she's still working there, and if not, I could learn her address or something. My father does know Yasuo Amori, and I have met him a few times during formal occasions. I'm pretty sure he doesn't know about my family being placed in protective custody. As long as I lie, he'll probably do those favors for me... But I am still under protection, and t__he cult is still out there. I am in constant danger if I leave this place, and it's implausible for those officers to accompany me for such a menial, personal task..."_

On instinct, Chouko stepped out of her bedroom and entered the main room to observe the police officers' movements. The first thing she saw was one officer still standing beside the doorway, though he was leaning against the wall, right next to a rack holding a number of hats, and snoring loudly. The other officer was gone, and Chouko assumed he had gone off to the bathroom. As for her father, she could hear him in the kitchen, still talking to his associate.

If she were quiet enough, she could sneak past that officer and...

Chouko shook her head. _"No! I can't think those thoughts! It would be a downright act of rebellion, of disobedience if I do this! I've never disobeyed anyone before!"_ Then, she hesitated. _"But...Harumi Tachibana might have answers...and I need to find her..."_

She glanced towards the kitchen, looking apprehensive.

* * *

Sadahiro groaned as he walked towards Chouko's bedroom. Fuyuki _had_ to call him at this time. Due to being under police protection, he was permitted only one phone call to and from associates per day. And he had been expecting another, more important phone call today. It looked like that call will have to wait, though.

_"Note to self,"_ he thought bitterly, _"give Fuyuki-san a five-percent reduction in his pay. I didn't need to know today's income rates..."_

Upon approaching the doorway of his daughter's bedroom, he stopped. The door was fully closed, and there was a note taped to it.

** _My apologies, Father, but I believe I may have contracted a cold. I do not know the scope of it, but I am in the bed right now, sleeping. Please, do not enter for the sake of your own health._ **

** _-Chouko_ **

_"Well, she _did_ look unusually red earlier..."_ he thought. Then, the businessman shrugged and walked away. _"If she is coming down with a cold, then I'll just continue our conversation tomorrow. It can wait."_

* * *

_"I cannot believe I lied to Father like that..."_

Continuing to walk down the crowded sidewalks of Mitaka, Chouko adjusted the small, creamy-white hat she took from the hat rack so it could better obscure her eyes from others. Then, she adjusted the bag that was slung over her shoulder to prevent it from falling off. Next, she took out the cellphone assigned to her by Igarashi and checked the time. Exactly 12:00 P.M. The officers at the doors would be switching shifts at 3:00 P.M. and therefore giving her an opening to reenter the apartment undetected. This gave her four hours to at least meet up with Yasuo Amori, the Mitsuishi Group CEO, and learn something about Harumi Tachibana.

For a moment, she couldn't help but dryly think about how ineffective her protective detail was. Igarashi and Fukuyama deserved better officers under their supervision.

"Hey, babe," a voice said. "You lost?"

She twirled around, her heart pounding hard against her sternum. At first, she thought she had been approached by a cultist, but then, she was slightly relieved to see it was one of those street thugs she occasionally saw loitering around the sidewalks.

But then again, she didn't know how much of a relief it would be to her, given that the unpleasant-looking man was glaring down at her with a lecherous expression.

"Want me to walk you home?" the man asked.

"I am not lost," replied Chouko, trying to sound as calm as possible. "You don't have to worry about me; I can find my own way."

To her disgust, the man placed a hand on her shoulder in what was an attempt at a comforting gesture.

"Oh, come on, babe!" he said, his smile widening in a sickening way. "A beautiful girl like you shouldn't be out by yourself!"

"I believe you have your time wrong. It isn't nighttime, and there are plenty of people out in the street. If someone were to attack me, I would have plenty of witnesses who can come and help me."

"But did you hear about that cult? They don't give a damn if it's night or day, or if there's one or a hundred people out on the street. It's not safe if they're around. But if you let me walk by your side-" The thug jabbed a thumb into his own chest with a cheesy air of arrogance. "-then I will protect you with all of my honor as a man!"

Chouko's eyes narrowed, and she frowned in annoyance. "Is this your way of charming girls into letting you have your way with them? Because it isn't working on me."

"Aw, come on, babe! I swear on my life that I will- AGH!"

A hand had suddenly latched itself onto the thug's collar, and the man found himself face to face with an intelligent-looking, slender teenage boy with blue hair and a pair of rectangular glasses.

"Hey," the teenager snarled, "back off if you know what's good for you."

At first, the thug was surprised that someone had interrupted him. Then, his confidence returned, and he smirked maliciously.

"Yeah, right," he replied. "What the hell's a little nerd like _you_ gonna do to me?!"

To Chouko's surprise, the boy punched her harasser hard in the stomach, so hard that flecks of spit flew out of the thug's mouth. Groaning and cursing in pain, he stumbled away and bent over, clutching his stomach. As for the teenager, he merely flexed his fingers and then crossed his arms.

"I told you to back off if you know what's good for you," he said. "So I suggest you start backing up now or else."

The thug glared up at him hatefully, then stumbled away, muttering, "Why that little goddamn bastard..."

Once the man was out of sight, the teenager turned towards Chouko with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you okay, miss?" he asked.

"Yeah," Chouko replied, nodding her head twice. "But you didn't need to help me-"

"But you're an innocent girl!" The boy then clenched a fist and placed it over his heart. "And Takayoshi Asahara never stands by when an innocent girl is in danger! I swore on my father's grave that I would never do that in my life!"

Chouko sweat-dropped at the boy's overly dramatic attitude. For the past two months, she has met a number of interesting people...

"Well, thank you for intervening anyway," she said. "I must get going now."

She turned around and prepared to continue walking when she heard Takayoshi say, "Wait a minute, where are you going?"

"I have to go see a friend in Chiyoda."

"So you're traveling on foot?"

Chouko turned back around to look at him. "What makes you think so?" she asked.

"You don't have a bag on you, and therefore, no means of getting a ride on the train. It's gonna be quite a long walk from Mitaka to Chiyoda."

Upon hearing his response, the girl's face suddenly went pale. She knew that while she brought a bag, she wouldn't be able to use any of the materials she stuffed inside, considering the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department would be tracking their usage. But what she forgot to remember was that she had over three hours to get from Mitaka to Chiyoda on foot. It definitely was not enough time for her to accomplish her goal. How could she forget something as simple as that?!

This whole situation must be softening her up...

Her attention was suddenly caught by a train ticket being waved inches from her face. Takayoshi was still there.

"Here," Takayoshi said, giving her a kind smile. "I have an extra ticket. Mitaka Station's just close by."

"Oh." Chouko smiled slightly as she took the ticket, then bowed her head at him. "Thank you very much, Asahara-san."

"Hey, no need to thank me. Remember, Takayoshi Asahara is always there whenever an innocent girl is in need!"

She just couldn't help but sweat-drop at that corny remark that seemed to be ripped straight out of a shōnen manga or something. However, she merely continued to smile politely as she made her leave.

Little did Chouko know that once she turned her back on him, Takayoshi's eyes narrowed slightly at her in suspicion.

* * *

**Mitaka Station**

"Why can't you just ride the train, Igarashi-kun?" asked Fukuyama, looking towards her superior with a curious eye as she remained seated on a bench. "It's much faster, and you know it's a three-hour walk from here to Chiyoda."

"I told you, Fukuyama," Igarashi replied. "I'm not a big fan of trains. And I prefer experiencing the lively sights of the outside world up-close and personal over speeding past them in a metal tube. It's a freshening experience every time. You should try it out sometime."

Fukuyama prepared to respond when a peculiar ringtone suddenly filled the air. Igarashi pursed his lips as he reached inside his pocket and pulled out his cellphone.

"Excuse me," he said as he put the device to his ear. "Igarashi." There was a very brief silence, and then, Igarashi's eyes widened in horror. "What?! How? Is-Is she in her bedroom? ...What?! How could you let her slip by?!" Another brief silence. "Okay, okay, I'll be there." Once he shut off the cellphone, he muttered, "Damn it..."

"Chouko-chan's gone?" Fukuyama theorized, her eyes narrowed seriously.

"Yes. Apparently, the cellphone we gave her was activated outside of the apartment." The sergeant began walking towards the nearest station exit, followed closely by Fukuyama. "We're going back to the apartment."

Neither officer noticed the silver-haired girl wearing the small hat approaching the same bench Fukuyama was sitting on seconds earlier...

* * *

**Mitsuishi Group Headquarters  
** **Chiyoda, Tokyo  
Over an hour later**

Chouko looked up at the Mitsuishi Group headquarters complex incredulously. Like the headquarters of her father's company, it was a tall office building with what appeared to be a penthouse at the top. It took her an hour to get to Chiyoda, but at least it was better than walking all the way there from Mitaka. She made a mental note to herself to thank Takayoshi Asahara if she ever saw him again.

_"Well,"_ she thought, _"her goes."_

Taking in a deep breath, she stepped inside the headquarters complex. Once inside, she removed her hat and began surveying the entire interior of the ground floor with interest. It was a bunch of nicely dressed businessmen and women strolling in and out of the room, with a few secretarial desks situated near the elevator doors. She had never actually been inside the Mitsuishi Group headquarters before, and she had to admit, it already looked much better than the ground floor of Hashimoto Communications...

She shook her head and thought, _"Stay focused, Chouko. Stay focused. This is no time to be distracted by minor matters such as that..."_

The silver-haired girl walked forward towards one of the occupied desks, intending to talk with the secretary stationed there and hopefully schedule an appointment, when a flash of dazzling silver suddenly caught her eye. Looking towards her right at another desk, Chouko spotted the secretary who was occupying it: a silver-haired, golden-eyed woman who greatly resembled her mother, except she was much older.

Chouko walked away from the first desk and towards the second one. As she approached it, she spotted the name-tag attached above the woman's breast-pocket. As soon as she discerned the name 'Tachibana' on it (barely so), she immediately hastened her pace.

However, before she could reach the woman, she heard someone else call out, "Tachibana-san!" The woman promptly stood up and walked away from Chouko, towards the farthest secretarial desk.

Watching as Tachibana interacted with the other female secretary, Chouko started thinking again.

_"Wait a minute, what will happen if I approach her? I...I can't just immediately tell her I've been seeing her daughter in my dreams too. Not to mention I look almost exactly like her. Who knows how she'll react? She might think I'm playing a cruel joke on her or something at my expense. It would be pretty insensitive to approach a woman who moved on from her daughter's death but now has to deal with the loss again after seeing her again. I don't want to hurt her feelings if it's possible. It would be unbecoming of me..."_

She took a couple of steps backward, away from the desks as she continued to watch Tachibana. Chouko couldn't help but notice how comfortable the woman seemed in her environment. She didn't look like someone who's had to deal with her daughter's death...

Chouko immediately turned around and walked inside, unsure of what to do next to get her answers.

* * *

Chouko leaned against the side of the Mitsuishi Group building, letting the bright, warm rays of sunlight hit her skin. However, she ignored the sun's warmth, instead pondering on what to do next. She couldn't just leave without answers about her predicament, but she did not know what Harumi's reaction would be if she saw her.

She looked up and observed the pedestrians on the sidewalks. Most of them were walking past her, looking focused and no doubt thinking about their schedule for the day. There were some groups of people, usually couples or friends, who were talking to each other happily without another care in the world. As she watched them go, Chouko briefly wondered if any of them, by any chance, were experiencing the same situation as her, getting visited by someone completely unfamiliar, yet physically identical to them, in their dreams.

She doubted it. She had to be the only one with that problem.

Chouko looked back down at the sidewalk, resuming her thoughts. Perhaps she shouldn't approach Harumi Tachibana, probably not just yet...but she _could_ still learn something about her.

_"Okay,"_ she thought. _"I'll continue with my original plan. I'll schedule an appointment with Amori-san. I can only hope Tachibana-san doesn't see me..."_

She took a look at her phone to check the time. 1:15 P.M. She still had enough time.

The silver-haired girl closed her phone, put it into the bag, and began walking back towards the main entrance. As she did, she faintly heard someone running towards her, but she ignored it. It was probably someone late for work.

Seconds later, she felt something tap her left shoulder twice. Surprised, Chouko twirled around, expecting to see Igarashi standing there, wearing his stern expression. But it wasn't him.

It was...

"Takahashi?" she asked.

"Chouko," replied the redheaded teenager. He himself looked surprised at his own actions, but he gave her a shockingly genuine smile. "Hey. Long time, no see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I kinda went meta during that Google search. XD
> 
> Just so you know, I actually looked up all of those bold, italicized "search terms" to see what Google would actually come up with, in order to get a feel of what the compiled results were going to be like and what they would contain. I must say, I came across some very interesting subjects. In fact, the 'Realm of Social Anxieties' forum is pretty much based on one of the results I found.
> 
> Also, I hope you guys can guess what the ending was all about! Let's just say...we have finally reached that point! ;D ;D ;D
> 
> And a hint of trivia, look up the Reversible Destiny Lofts. It's an actual place. Freaky architecture, eh?
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	15. Hello

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Having watched "Kimi no Na wa" while writing this chapter, I must say, I can tell the movie's going to have some influence in my writing for this story since there's a little supernatural elements in both that movie and "Angel Beats!". I do recommend watching the movie, if you somehow haven't already. It's worth the watch. :D
> 
> Alright, on to the brand-new chapter! Some more familiar characters in new identities will be introduced in this one, so be sure to keep an eye out for clues!

**CHAPTER 14: HELLO**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

* * *

**Takahashi Household  
** **Nishitōkyō, Japan  
Two months after the attack on Hashimoto Manor**

Takahashi quickly finished putting on his clothes, slung his backpack straps over his shoulders, left the bedroom, and traveled down the short staircase of his home. As he did, he could hear the old family television set blaring. It was covering yet another top story about the cult, which had suddenly gone quiet following the attack on Hashimoto Manor. However, Takahashi knew it was still active, but that it was just not making any criminal activity whatsoever. They were likely plotting their next attack, whatever it may be, otherwise he still wouldn't be stuck with the literal mall cops he had to call his protective detail.

Who were, not unexpectedly, helping themselves to more servings of his mother's food like hungry pigs.

"Another Mápó dòufu, please, Takahashi-san!" Sekine shouted, sounding more like a spoiled customer at a local family restaurant than a respected police officer.

"Here you go, Sekine-sama!" the woman replied happily, handing the officer another plate of Mápó dòufu just as Takahashi entered the kitchen. "Please, help yourself!"

"Thank you, Takahashi-san!"

"Yeah, thank you very much, Takahashi-san!" added Kuramoto, looking equally pleased with his Mápó dòufu. "It's rare for people such as yourself to be so courteous and cater for police officers like us!"

"Anything for the people protecting me and my Arata-kun," Takahashi's mother replied, right before spotting her son. "Oh, speak of the devil!"

"Speak of the devil?..." repeated Takahashi, an eyebrow arched in dissatisfaction. Then, he frowned angrily. "And for the love of God, stop calling me Arata-kun, Mom!"

"As long as you're in this house, I can call you whatever I wish. And Arata-kun suits me best. So don't argue with me, mister." She then overheard muffled giggling and gave a frightening glare at Officers Sekine and Kuramoto, who were both trying to cover their mouths; their expressions of amusement turned into ones of terror upon seeing the woman's reaction. "One more laugh out of you and you're not getting any more of my Mápó dòufu, officers."

"We're sorry, Takahashi-san..." replied a mortified Kuramoto.

"Good." The woman looked back at Takahashi and noticed the clothes and backpack her son was wearing. "Oh, you're going out again? I thought you're off from work today, and it _is_ a weekend, after all..."

"Yeah, I'm off from work, and I _definitely_ don't have school today. But I do have a club meeting."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. It starts in about an hour or so and I shouldn't be late. The guys are expecting me."

His mother beamed happily at the news. "Oh, Arata-kun, I'm so glad you're actually making friends this year." She then retrieved a plastic bag and handed it to Takahashi. "Here. Some food I made for your new friends. I'm sure they'll love it."

Takahashi blinked in surprise at the bag. "Oh, Mom, you really didn't have to-"

"Oh, don't give me that kind of humility, Arata-kun!" interrupted the woman. "Take it. Whatever you're doing in that club, I'm sure at least one person there is gonna be hungry. And believe me, with a bunch of teenagers gathered and doing some activity, it's gonna happen, and they'll need the food." She then raised an index finger in exaggeration of her wisdom. "And you know what they say about being the one to deliver food for a gathering."

"No, I really don't," deadpanned Takahashi.

"Just take it, Arata-kun, and share it with your friends." His mother smiled at him. "Oh, I'm just so proud you're making an actual effort in being social. You were always by yourself when you were little. The image of you having fun with friends, it makes my heart flutter!"

"Well, I'm glad you're happy for me, I guess." Takahashi looked at the bag again and gave a small smile. "But...thanks for the food, Mom. I'll take it along." He kissed her on the cheek and began leaving for the front door. "Bye. I won't be home until the afternoon."

"Have fun, Arata-kun! And do be safe!"

"Thanks." Then, before he could grasp the door handle, Takahashi's cheeks turned florid, and his hand twitched. "And stop calling me Arata-kun, Mom!"

"I'll call you whatever I wish, Arata-kun!" the mother retorted seconds before he opened the door, stepped outside, and closed it behind him.

Outside the house, Takahashi hopped on his bicycle, put on his helmet, and began to pedal down the concrete sidewalk. As he did, he looked around to survey the neighborhood he was in. He honestly couldn't believe that, much like the family's TV set, all of the houses comprising his neighborhood were made of more simpler construction materials that seemed more appropriate for twenty, maybe even thirty years ago, in comparison to the other neighborhoods that boasted more advanced construction. Takahashi could vividly remembered all of the pictures of buildings built during the 1990s and 2000s, pictures that he saw in all of his history textbooks; to him, it was as if he was living in that approximate timeline instead of the modern-day world.

Normally, he would be displeased by that. But for some reason, this fact didn't bother him, not one bit.

_"How weird,"_ he thought.

* * *

**Yunokawa Household  
** **Current Meeting Place of the Global Awareness Club**

Takahashi parked his bicycle beside the mailbox, secured it, and began walking towards the house. The plastic bag of food was still hanging from his elbow and his backpack was still latched to his back, looking heavier than usual despite its small size. Right now, he was wearing a white shirt, a light-green jacket, and dark jeans.

He approached the front door and knocked on it thrice in quick succession. A few seconds later, it opened, revealing the face of Kimiko, who immediately beamed at him.

"Welcome back, newbie," she greeted.

"_Newbie_?" repeated Takahashi in dissatisfaction. "I've been a member for two months..."

She ignored him and asked, "Did you bring the cameras?"

Takahashi removed his backpack, zipped it open, and revealed its contents: an assortment of miniature cameras that could easily be installed in a multitude of locations. They were small enough that nobody would give them a second thought even if they spotted them.

"Good," Kimiko replied. "And you didn't waste a lot of yen, right?"

Takahashi nodded, looking impressed. "I'm surprised these old, dingy things are really cheap and yet still efficient! Guess there's still some advantage to using stuff from the Middle Ages."

He stepped inside the house and removed his shoes, with Kimiko closing the door behind him. The two teenagers entered the living room, which was already occupied by several other teenagers their age. They consisted of Rikana Egami, the secretary of the club; Hozumi Karubo, their treasurer; Touya Hamada, their master researcher; members Naotatsu Yunokawa, Naotatsu's brother Yuuji, Ginga Matsushina, Ginga's sister Yumie, Hiroto Sekozawa, Sachiyo Sugisata, Tyler Kendall, and Fuyumi Royama.

"Oh hey, newbie!" greeted Naotatsu, waving. "Welcome back!"

"_Newbie_?!" repeated Takahashi in annoyance. "I've only been in this club for two months!"

"Takahashi-kun brought the cameras, just as requested," Kimiko announced.

"So I guess that means we're all ready," remarked Rikana.

"Ready for what?" Ginga asked, confused. "Sorry, guys, but I'm lost..."

"We're going to Mitaka," explained Hiroto.

"Mitaka? Where all of those anime companies are headquartered?"

"Yep!" replied Kimiko. "See the cameras Takahashi brought? We're gonna install them around those anime companies, as well as the shady parts of the city. According to Touya's research, there's rumors of at least one anime company there hiring prostitutes from brothels to pose for animators, so they could create good fanservice scenes for the anime they're producing. For too long, anime has fueled the erotic fantasies of horny men and teenage boys with their well-animated scenes of jiggling oppai and pronounced backsides! If we expose the dirt of one anime company to the public, then we could intimidate others into toning down on the fanservice and focusing more on their stories they want to tell!"

She proceeded to pull out a lollipop from her skirt pocket, but she accidentally dropped it and it skidded underneath a table. Cursing under her breath, Kimiko went down on all fours and began searching under the table for the lollipop. Unbeknownst to her, that meant sticking up her backside, draped with her modest skirt, towards the other members of the club. All of the male members immediately gawked at the sight (with Touya discreetly taking a picture with his phone), except for Takahashi, who himself was locked in a life-or-death battle against his hormones as he struggled to look away. As for the female members, they were either blushing in embarrassment and looking away, or frowning disapprovingly at the thought of being surrounded by horny boys...with the exception being Rikana, who had joined the boys in their quest of ogling.

After an unnaturally long period of time, Kimiko finally managed to retrieve the long-lost lollipop and stood back up. She unwrapped the piece of candy and stuck it into her mouth, just as she noticed everyone either gawking at her or looking away like they had seen a ghost.

"What's up, guys?" she asked obliviously. "Why's everyone so red all of a sudden?"

"Nothing, nothing!" replied Naotatsu almost immediately. "It just, uh... It just feels hot in here, that's all!"

"Really? I can feel the AC from here..." After a minute of contemplating the strange behavior of the club members, the magenta-haired girl shrugged. "Whatever. Let's head out to Mitaka, club! Time to dish out some dirt on these anime companies!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Tyler exclaimed strangely in English. "Let's roll on!"

* * *

**Between ** **Nishitōkyō and Mitaka**

On board a train headed for Mitaka, Takahashi and Kimiko found themselves in an uncomfortable position.

In order to further avoid suspicion, the club elected to split up in groups and head to Mitaka on different trains. Takahashi and Kimiko were part of a six-person group that also included Naotatsu, Ginga, Yumie, and Royama. However, the train they selected turned out to be heavily cramped with other commuters, and everyone found themselves sandwiched between multiple people. As a result, Takahashi and Kimiko were locked in a highly limited space; if their bodies were a few inches closer, they might've as well been hugging.

Being teenagers of the opposite sex, it was obviously a highly embarrassing situation for them to be in.

"So, uh..." Takahashi began, trying to break the ice. "How's, uh...how are things going with your sister?"

"Fine," Kimiko replied, looking away from him.

The redheaded boy chuckled nervously. "Fine? I, uh...I can't get much from that. Are you, like, making progress with reconnecting with your sister? I mean, you've been attending a lot of club meetings more recently, so-"

"It's a work in progress," interrupted Kimiko.

"Oh. That's good."

Suddenly, a commuter accidentally stumbled over briefly, inadvertently pushing Kimiko into Takahashi's chest for a moment. Both teenagers blushed as the magenta-haired girl quickly recovered and resumed her earlier standing position. Takahashi gulped and looked away from Kimiko.

He had to admit, it had been a very interesting couple of months for him.

Ever since he accepted Kimiko's offer and joined the Global Awareness Club, Takahashi found himself easily immersed in the group's activities. During his first week, they attended a protest against whaling and had to flee when things became violent between protesters and police. Takahashi was surprised to find himself exhilarated from fleeing from the law. Since then, he became more involved with the club and its morally gray activities, despite his annoyance at the members repeatedly calling him 'newbie'.

He struck quite a few friendships with the members too. Naotatsu was his go-to friend, always there to listen or lend a hand, though Takahashi had a nagging feeling that the blue-haired boy had a crush on him. Royama was another go-to friend, who Takahashi found to be quite relatable; besides their physical similarities, both wanted to leave their lives in the outdated suburban neighborhoods, find successful occupations, and acquire vast fortunes. Hozumi was quite a good-natured and soft-spoken boy who was admittedly adorable at times. Sachiyo had to be one of the few girls he was comfortable talking to, and he didn't have to worry about things like shopping or good looks from her, since she was a tomboy who could care less about any of those things. And then there was Tyler, with all of his eccentricities...

He definitely fit in well with the club; very quickly too, he noted. It was almost as if he had been a member ever since it was first launched, probably even earlier than that...

Of course, there were some problems that came with being a member of the club too. Naturally, he came dangerously close to being arrested a few times, and it didn't sit well with him, though he continued to stay with the club regardless. But more importantly, it seemed to take up a great amount of his time. Even in his off-time, he found himself thinking about the club. And as a result, he was late for work frequently, and he even sometimes skipped his shift. This attracted a great deal of rage from his boss Itagaki, a rage like no other, along with threats of being fired.

The old Takahashi would have objected to skipping out on work like that, based on the sole reason that he would be spending less to no time at all with Hasumi, the girl of his dreams. But now, Takahashi was no longer thinking about Hasumi. Charming her and winning her heart got lower and lower on his to-do list. He wasn't even bothered by the sight of her with Noriya anymore. If he didn't know any better, one would say that he moved on from Hasumi.

Of course, he knew how unnatural that was. Hasumi was the love of his life; he couldn't deny that. But to be honest, there were suddenly more pressing matters on his mind. The club, the protests, the activities, the silver hair...

Upon realizing what he was thinking, he had to shake his head to clear it of his thoughts. After all this time, he was _still_ thinking about Chouko Hashimoto? The girl who treated him poorly and coldly at that mansion, the only criticism he had of the experience (aside from the cult trying to kill him, of course)?

Takahashi knew he needed to stop thinking about her. It just wasn't worth it.

If there was a specific person he needed to think about, it had to be...Kimiko.

The more time he spent with the club, the more time he was technically spending with her. And they also spent a considerable amount of time with each other outside of the club, too. Every day, they would eat on the school roof during lunch and talk about their daily lives and problems. He would often ask about her relationship with her sister Naomi and give pointers on how to bond with her, which he found odd, since he didn't have any siblings himself. In turn, Kimiko would give him pointers on how to get Hasumi's attention, not that those pointers really mattered anymore.

The more time the two spent together, the closer they became. As of a couple of weeks ago, Takahashi realized that he may be developing feelings for the magenta-haired girl. After all, Hasumi was a conveniently pretty coworker he had a schoolboy crush on, who shared friendly banter with him. But in comparison, Kimiko had to be the first girl who was comfortable around him, someone who would go out of their way to spend time with him.

That didn't mean he completely dropped his crush on Hasumi, but he could tell it was fading with every second he spent with Kimiko.

Of course, he had no idea if Kimiko felt the same way, or how she would react if he confessed his feelings to her, so he stayed silent about it. The best thing he could do now was listen to the pointers she gave him on how to charm a girl, all the while unaware of the truth.

But every now and then, his mind would always settle on the-

At that moment, the train lurched to a sudden stop, nearly sending Takahashi and Kimiko into a collision course into each other yet again. After recovering, they waited until the train doors slid open; once they did, they joined Naotatsu, Ginga, Yumie, and several other commuters in exiting the vehicle and entering Mitaka Station, all the while avoiding any commuters who were attempting to enter the train.

"Man, that was one crowded train!" exclaimed Naotatsu, stretching out his arms. "Where in the world do people need to go on the weekends?!"

"Let's not worry about that, Naotatsu-kun," Kimiko replied, crossing her arms. "We've gotta get moving. The nearest anime company headquarters from here should be Studio Carrot, according to Touya."

"Studio Carrot?" asked Ginga, his posture drooping slightly. "Aw, man... I really love their anime, though..."

"Sometimes sacrifices must be made, Ginga. We have to do this, for the sake of women and girls everywhere! We will not let them be exposed to this kind of objectification any longer!" She looked at Takahashi. "You still have the cameras, right, Takahashi-kun?"

"Yep," Takahashi replied, raising his bag. "Got 'em right in here, Kimiko." He then raised the plastic bag containing his mother's food. "I've also got food in case anyone gets hungry."

"Yeah, that'll work too." Kimiko then pointed off dramatically towards the station exit. "Come on, everyone, let's go!"

"Whatever you say, boss," replied Naotatsu, sweat-dropping at his friend's intense determination.

* * *

**Mitaka, Tokyo  
** **A couple of hours later**

"Jesus Christ, how'd we land this job again?"

Naotatsu's voice pulled Takahashi back to reality, away from the thoughts of a certain silver-haired girl once again. The two of them were trudging down the seedy area of town with Royama, and all three boys were wearing their backpacks. As they walked, they ignored the shady conversations of muscular, intimidating men and the provocative allure of scantily dressed women around them. More than a few stares were on them, a couple of high-school students who clearly didn't belong in the neighborhood. Takahashi was surprised no one chose to try and rob them or seduce them for a few quick bucks.

"Seems like we drew the short end of the stick, man," Takahashi replied, casting a wary glance at a particularly large, bald man who was playing around with a pocket knife.

"Damn, I hate short sticks," Naotatsu remarked.

Royama grunted, just before his eye caught a prostitute boasting a stunningly large chest size. The woman winked at him, and he immediately looked the other way, blushing in embarrassment.

"Man, and we have to get this camera set up at a _brothel_ in the area?" he asked. "This area, where someone gets robbed or shot every other day? Sometimes I think Kimiko gets too concerned and moralistic for her own good."

"Hey, don't blame her, man," replied Takahashi. "She's the big sister to three children, so of course she's gotta feel an obligation to protect their innocence. If I had a little sister, I'd definitely be concerned too. I mean, when she grows up, this is the kind of world she'd be walking into..."

"But isn't she worried we may end up getting pummeled?" Naotatsu asked. As he spoke, he eyed another prostitute, who raised a whip in the air and slashed it downward on the ground, creating a harsh whipping noise. "Or worse?"

"Don't worry, you're not the only one worried about that. Let's just find a brothel and get this over with." Takahashi looked around nervously, sweating a little. "Maybe we should ask around."

"Oh, sure, let's ask the gangbanger with the machete for directions. Or the pimp with the unnaturally fancy clothes that are conveniently hiding guns underneath. Or the prostitute with the horrid fetishes. Yeah, let's ask any of the above for help!"

"Or all of the above..." Royama added in an attempt to sound sarcastic.

"Sounds like a great idea!" Naotatsu let out a laugh of nervousness. "Why haven't I thought of it before?!"

"Hey, you lost, kiddos?"

Royama's skin paled. "No, not really," he replied quickly.

At that moment, a trio of muscular men approached Takahashi, Naotatsu, and Royama cracking their knuckles. The boys tightened their grips around their backpacks, not wanting to lose their precious cargo, lest they face the unbridled wrath of Kimiko.

"Well, will ya look at that, man?" one man said. "A trio of high-school boys, lost and on their own!"

"Yeah, like weaklings separated from the herd," replied another man.

Takahashi gulped and stepped forward, saying calmly, "Look, we don't want any trouble, guys. We're just passing through-"

"Ya hear that, man?" the third man asked. "He said they're just passing through. How cute."

"Yeah," said the first man, "I remember when some bozos passed through our territory just like they did. Stripped them bare till they had nothing but their dignity."

"And then we took that too," added the second man. Then, he sweat-dropped. "We worded that wrong, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we totally did..."

"Look, guys, we don't swing that way! Just so you know."

"Uh-huh..." Royama said, nodding his head, but he sounded unconvinced.

"Look, just give us your backpacks," commanded the third man. "Unless you want what's coming to ya!"

"L-L-Like hell we are!" Naotatsu cried. "We're gonna get a whole lot worse than you guys if we give this to you!"

"I'm afraid ya misheard me, man. It wasn't a question. It was a request." The gangbanger reached towards his belt and unsheathed something the three teenagers didn't notice before: a large, gleaming hunting knife. "Give us the backpacks, or else we'll make sure you'll be smilin' any day, _every_ day."

"No, thank you." Naotatsu took a couple of steps backward, followed closely by Takahashi and Royama. "I think I smile enough times per day."

"Don't make us ask twice, lil' punk..."

"Dude," the first gangbanger said, sweat-dropping, "we didn't even _ask_ anything from them..."

"What? Yes, we did! What do ya think we're doing, man?!"

"You said it a few seconds ago, man!" exclaimed the second gangbanger. "'It wasn't a question. It was a request.' And you were all badass about that too!"

"Request, question, potato, patato! Let's just rob 'em!"

Takahashi, Naotatsu, and Royama both began to sweat in nervous apprehension. However, they could no longer move, simply staying rooted to the spot. They could only watch and tremble as the gangbangers closed in on them, like predators moving in on their cornered prey...

"Hey! You bozos!"

The gangbangers twirled around, and Takahashi, Naotatsu, and Royama could see a boy their age approaching their position. He was large and muscular, sporting brown hair and squinting eyes. Upon seeing those peculiar facial features, Takahashi's eyes widened, but he didn't know if he should feel relieved or absolutely pissed off.

"YOU!" the redhead roared, startling everyone within earshot.

The squint-eyed boy ignored Takahashi and snarled at the gangbangers, "These guys, they're with me, man. And you know better than to mess with my crew!"

"They're _your_ crew?!" one of the gangbangers snarled back, looking unconvinced. "They're just weaklings!"

"Yeah, little fish!" another gangbanger said. "Little fish swimming in a pond with big fish!"

"They don't belong 'ere!" the third gangbanger growled. "And you know what we do to people who don't belong here, Fujikawa." He flipped his large hunting knife so its blade was now facing the ground. "We teach 'em their place!"

"Speaking of which," said the first gangbanger, sneering, "we still have some _business_ to settle with ya, boy! I believe you owe us something-"

"I don't owe you anything," interrupted Mutsuto Fujikawa, looking extremely confident in his negotiations. "Now, leave 'em alone, or I'll see to it that you do."

"Really? You and what army? The bitch who thinks she's a ninja? Where is the damn skank anyway?"

"Right behind you," another voice replied, in a tone as cold as the Arctic.

The gangsters twirled around to see a teenage girl standing behind them, having apparently sneaked over to that position completely unnoticed. In fact, Takahashi, Naotatsu, and Royama were flabbergasted to see her there in the first place, for they could've sworn no one was occupying that space a few seconds ago. This girl had dark-blue hair and scarlet eyes; and was wearing a dark-blue tank-top, black jean shorts, and a pink, thick scarf that was nearly obscuring her mouth and both ends dangling from her shoulders. Clutched in her hands was a wooden shinai.

"WHOA!" one of the gangsters shouted. "What the hell?! How did you get there?!"

"I'm just a bitch who thinks she's a ninja," the girl replied unflinchingly. Then, she raised her shinai higher into the air. "Now, I would heed the advice of my partner and leave immediately."

"You don't tell us what to do, skank!" snapped the second gangbanger. "Who the hell do you think we are?! OOF!"

The girl had slapped the older man across the face with her shinai, applying enough force so that he fell down to the ground in shock. The man's partners looked on for a moment, utterly flabbergasted, before regaining their senses and charging at the girl.

"YOU LITTLE BI- AGH!"

Mutsuto had sprung forward and elbowed one of the gangsters hard in the stomach, before knocking him off-balance and slamming him down to the ground. As for the other gangster, who had the hunting knife, the girl hit his wrist hard with the other end of her shinai, causing him to drop the weapon. Then, she somersaulted over him as he tried to land a punch, then kicked him hard in both legs. Takahashi, Naotatsu, and Royama winced upon hearing the two consecutive popping noises.

"**AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!** MY LEGS!" The man crumpled down to the ground, tears streaming down his cheeks. "MY _LEGS_! THE BITCH BROKE MY **LEGS**!"

"You should've heeded my partner's advice," the girl said coldly. "And you should _never_ have called me by those names."

"Damn right," Mutsuto added, rubbing his knuckles. "It's downright disrespectful, not to mention misogynistic."

Realizing they were outmatched, the other two gangbangers stood up and hoisted their injured comrade up by wrapping his arms over their necks. Before they could make their leave, they glared hatefully at the two teenagers who interfered with their attempted robbery.

"Don't think you've heard the last of us, Fujikawa, C!" one of them snarled, but anyone could tell that his voice was now shaky. "We'll have our revenge one day!"

"Yeah!" the other shouted. "And on that day, you'll learn to regret messing with the likes of us!"

"Yeah, yeah," Mutsuto replied nonchalantly. "That's what you told us last week. Now move along, all of you. Your man looks like he's in a lot of pain."

The two men growled before walking away, supporting their accomplice along the way. Once they rounded a corner and disappeared from sight, the girl, apparently named C, looked down and picked up the hunting knife the gangster dropped.

"That'll look good for your collection," remarked Mutsuto.

C merely nodded before twirling the knife around and putting it away in a previously unseen sheath. Then, Mutsuto turned around and grinned from ear to ear at Takahashi, Naotatsu, and Royama, who were all wearing expressions of befuddlement.

"Now then," he said, "what're a couple of guys like you doing in a place like this?" He then looked around, then back at the three boys with some sort of realization. "Don't tell me you're trying to score your virginity away or something."

Takahashi and Naotatsu merely shook their heads in denial. However, Royama didn't seem focused on Mutsuto. Instead, he was staring deeply and intently at C, who was now practicing unsheathing and re-sheathing the hunting knife she took. A silly grin graced his facial features.

"I think I'm in love..." he said, more to himself than his friends.

* * *

**Mitaka Station  
Another couple of hours later**

"Thanks, guys," Naotatsu said, sighing in relief. "I'm not sure if Takahashi-kun or I would've been able to go inside that place."

"You're welcome, man," replied Mutsuto. "But I insist, you need better luck and resources than this if you're gonna try and prove some dated conspiracy theory."

"Yeah, try telling _that_ to our friend Kimiko," said Royama. "She'd have your head on a stick before you get three words out."

Takahashi cast a suspicious glare at Mutsuto and C as the two teenagers escorted him, Naotatsu, and Royama into the train station. After their last encounter at the hospital, he thought that he wouldn't see the likes of Mutsuto Fujikawa ever again. But now that they have crossed paths for a third time, the redheaded boy wondered if the Universe wanted to screw with his mind. After all, their first encounter cost him his pocket money, which he later learned was spent before their second encounter.

Speaking of which, he had to keep a close eye on all of his pockets. He couldn't afford to lose any more money to this guy and...whoever his friend was...

To his misery, however, the two seemed to have convinced Naotatsu and Royama of their trustworthiness. Naotatsu and Mutsuto were already having a cordial conversation, while Royama was trying desperately to flirt with C and catch her undivided attention.

"So," Royama said, grinning dreamily at C, "you're a ninja, huh?"

C merely nodded without saying a word.

"You know, ninjas have had quite an impact in Japan's history."

"I never noticed," C replied. Given the flat and stoic quality of her voice, Takahashi couldn't tell if she was being serious or sarcastic.

"They were quite active during the Sengoku period, from the 15th century to the 17th century. They were mercenaries-for-hire during the unrest at that time. What about you, C? Have you ever been hired to do anything...mercenary-like?"

"I prefer not to dirty my hands with that kind of work." C closed her eyes, and an aura of tranquility seemed to wash over her. "I opt to use my skills and abilities for the sake of the greater good."

"Whoa..." Royama's eyes gleamed, and he looked like a young child admiring his older sibling for accomplishing an awesome feat. "That sounds so _epic_..."

However, Takahashi rolled his eyes, outraged at the choice of words. "The sake of the greater good?" he repeated. "You call pick-pocketing me for the greater good?!"

"You did not need that money," replied C, her eyes still closed.

"_I_ didn't need it?! I was in the middle of a shopping trip, and your friend took ALL of it!"

"So," Naotatsu interjected, looking between Takahashi and Mutsuto, "is _this_ how you came across Takahashi-kun?"

"Yeah, he lent me money during a time of crisis," replied Mutsuto unflinchingly. "Quite an honorable move, I might add."

"_I_ lent _you_ money?!" Takahashi snarled in outrage. "_You_ pick-pocketed me! You STOLE my money, you ungrateful bastard!"

"Just so you know, this ungrateful bastard saved you from being robbed and _probably_ even worse than that." Mutsuto crossed his arms, a proud look on his face. "I'd call us even."

"How're we _even_?! I didn't lend you money, you stole it from me!"

"Technically, I didn't."

"Well, explain how my money went missing from my pocket right after I was talking to you back in Akihabara."

"An extremely odd, improbable coincidence."

"Extremely odd, improbable coincidences, my ASS. _You_ had something to do with my money missing!" Then, the redhead remembered his last encounter with Mutsuto at the hospital. "Sergeant Igarashi had you figured out!"

"My friend is telling the truth," C interjected suddenly, opening her eyes. "He didn't pickpocket you. _I_ did."

Takahashi's eyes bulged out in shock. "_You_? _You_ pick-pocketed me back in Akihabara?!"

"Yes."

"But...But I didn't notice you anywhere, let alone _feel_ you touching any of my pockets! How did you-?"

"It was easy. You were an idiot."

"HEY!"

Mutsuto shrugged. "It's true, man."

"_Excuse me_?!"

"I didn't even have to use my ninja abilities for that," C said. The flat tone of her voice, plus her poker-faced expression, would've made anyone else laugh.

"Naotatsu! Royama! Are you guys _hearing_ this crap?!"

However, Naotatsu was struggling to hold back a giggle. "Well, uh," he said, "it _would_ be a bit stupid for someone to not be paying attention to their own pockets in Akihabara..."

As for Royama, he was now preoccupied with ogling C's figure.

"NOT YOU TOO, NAOTATSU!"

Mutsuto laughed belligerently before he and C stopped. "Alright, guys," he announced. "This is where we part ways." He saluted Takahashi, prompting him to grit his teeth. "Pleasure seeing you again, Arata Takahashi! Hope you don't take things personally! After all, we do what we can to survive, right?"

"Damn you, you bastard..." Takahashi growled.

"Okay..." Mutsuto turned his gaze to C. "Come on, C. We're done here."

However, C refused to leave her position. Instead, she continued to stare strangely and deeply into Naotatsu, which greatly confused him and outraged the ever-observant Royama. Naotatsu's confusion could only build up when she spoke softly.

"What's your name?..."

"M-My name?" repeated Naotatsu. "Uh..."

"Don't listen to 'em, Naotatsu," Takahashi snarled. "It's probably another of their cons! Believe me, I would know."

"Oh, believe me, man," replied an equally confused Mutsuto, "if this is one of our cons, it's the first time I'm hearing of it." He nudged C's below lightly. "Hey, C, let's go."

Still, C refused to move. She could only gaze intensely into Naotatsu's eyes, which perplexed him.

Again, she asked, "What's your name?..."

"Don't do it, man," Takahashi whispered in warning, while Royama's face turned a deep shade of scarlet.

However, to the redhead's dismay, Naotatsu replied, with uncertainty, "N-Na...Naotatsu. N-Naotatsu Yunokawa."

C's eyes suddenly softened at the response. For what appeared to be the first time in her life, a small but noticeable sign of emotion flooded her face, as if she could sense what terrible things might happen to Naotatsu.

At that moment, Takahashi felt as if time literally stood still. Everyone was moving to and from the train station, but the five teenagers were all rooted to their positions, trapped in their own sphere of time and space. In that sphere, there was a strong aura of familiarity around Naotatsu, Mutsuto, and C. ...Just them. For some reason, Royama was being excluded from this strange sensation. And this familiarity that he was feeling, it was not the result of a good friendship, or a series of unfortunate encounters. No, this familiarity seemed to transcend the laws of the Universe.

It was just like all those times where he felt like he knew Chouko and Kimiko and every other person in his life, where he believed he knew them from some other place that had no other importance to him...

"C, is something wrong?" asked Mutsuto, breaking the silence. However, he didn't receive a response from her. "C? Yo, C? What's wrong?"

C shook her head to clear it of her thoughts, looked at the confused Naotatsu one last time, then glanced at her friend and partner.

"Nothing's wrong," she replied, the emotion gone from her face. "Just evaluating. That's all."

Mutsuto blinked, confused by the response, but said, "Okay, if you insist." He nodded at Takahashi, Naotatsu, and Royama. "Good luck with whatever you're planning, guys! Whatever it is, you've got our support, what with us helping you and all! And Takahashi?" He grinned cheekily at the redhead. "Pay closer attention to the pockets, alright? There are a lot of pick-pocketers in train stations, just so you know!"

Normally, Takahashi would've issued a snappy retort, or a verbally hostile comment, but he couldn't muster the effort now. He merely let out a huff of indifference, which seemed personally acceptable as a response for Mutsuto, for he and C turned around and began walking away without saying another word. Takahashi, Naotatsu, and Royama watched them go in silence.

"Wonder what that was all about?" asked Naotatsu. "That C girl was looking at me strangely..."

"Dunno," Takahashi replied. "They're just pick-pocketers. They were probably studying you just in case you come across them again. You better be careful with those guys; you cannot trust them with anything."

"I'd say C was totally digging you..." said Royama, the redheaded boy sulking glumly. "Damn it. I can _never_ land a hot and awesome girl..."

The blue-haired boy gave a sideways glance at Takahashi. "Did they _really_ pickpocket you in Akihabara?"

"Yeah. Lost some good yen on that day."

"What were you doing in Akihabara?"

"I was on a shopping trip with some friends."

Naotatsu blinked. "Friends?"

"Well..." Takahashi blinked, surprised by his choice of words. "They're not really my friends. It was during that time I spent with the Hashimotos."

"Oh yeah, you were with Kimmie and that other girl. Kimmie told me all about that." The blue-haired teenager chuckled. "Must've been quite the experience for you, living in a mansion. Even if it was for a limited amount of time..."

"Yeah..."

Before Takahashi knew it, his mind was wandering back to the silver hair, the golden eyes...

_ **"Tell Kanade I said hi."** _

"Naotatsu, Royama," Takahashi announced abruptly, "I'm sorry, but I gotta go."

"What?!" exclaimed Naotatsu and Royama at once.

"W-Why?" continued Royama.

"Do you have any idea how Kimmie will react if she finds out you bailed on this operation?" Naotatsu cried.

"I'm sorry, man, but...there's just something I gotta do."

"And you gotta do it right now?"

Takahashi hesitated briefly before replying, "Yeah. I have to do it right now." Upon noticing Naotatsu and Royama's expressions of surprise, he quickly added, "I'm really sorry, guys, but I just remembered it and...I gotta go." He retrieved the plastic bag of food from his backpack and handed it to Royama. "Here, for you and the others."

"Are you sure about this, man?" Naotatsu asked as Royama reluctantly took the bag.

_"Am I?..."_ thought Takahashi with great uncertainty.

...

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll see you guys later." Takahashi immediately made his way further into the train station, waving at his friends as he disappeared into the crowd. "Apologize to Kimiko for me!"

He left behind a completely dumbfounded Naotatsu and Royama, who merely stood there in the middle of the station, staring after Takahashi.

"What the hell, Takahashi-kun?..." Naotatsu exasperated.

...

Royama glared hatefully at Naotatsu.

"She _totally_ had the hots for you..." he grumbled. "I just know it."

* * *

**Chiyoda, Tokyo  
An hour later**

He didn't know what had gotten into him.

The moment he told Naotatsu and Royama that he had to leave, Takahashi felt extremely guilty about abandoning the club so he could do...whatever it was he wanted to do. He traveled all the way to Chiyoda by train, and right now, he was walking around aimlessly on the sidewalks, isolating himself in his own mind.

He knew he wasn't going to hear the end of it from Kimiko, but...for some reason, coming out here felt like an urgent task to the redhead, something that desperately needed to be completed. Perhaps there was something waiting for him here. But what in the world was in Chiyoda that needed to be addressed?

Takahashi knew it had something to do with Mutsuto and C. The moment he saw them, he had that strange feeling again, the one where he felt like he knew them from somewhere, someplace. It bugged him every time he had that sensation, and yet, he could never bother to investigate further.

_"Note to self,"_ the redhead thought, _"look this phenomenon up. There's no way I'm the only one who's experienced this."_

...

_"Wait a minute..."_

The redheaded teenager stopped walking, some sort of realization dawning upon him. He looked around and scanned all of the pedestrians walking past him, looking completely undaunted by anything. They were all normal people...and yet, what if they weren't?...

_"Am I _really _not the only one? Is this something everyone experiences at some point? Is this what they call d__éjà vu? Am I experiencing some stronger, weirder version of it?"_

He narrowed his eyes as he watched every single person who passed him. There was an elderly woman walking along, cane in hand. There was a stylish woman carrying her miniature dog in her purse. There was a mother eating ice cream with her young daughter. There was a young couple, giggling as they had some sort of sweet conversation.

Looking at these people, and many others, Takahashi wondered what kind of déjà vu moments they experienced, and what kind of information they could possibly provide in regards to one of mankind's greatest questions.

_"Every time I experience this feeling, I see visions of certain people in strange scenarios that I've never been in. Kimiko, Fuuta, Noriya, Hasumi, Chouko... They're all there, and yet...they're not. I know them, but they're different people. People I've never met. How could that be possible?"_

Takahashi closely watched as the little girl licked her ice cream. Both then caught sight of a butterfly in the air. The girl giggled in amusement and reached out in an effort to touch the butterfly, but was obviously not tall enough to do so. The butterfly merely flew past her and her mother, and approached Takahashi. At that moment, the redheaded teenage boy realized how white the butterfly was.

On instinct, he held out his hand, and the butterfly settled on the tip of his index finger.

"Awww, no fair!" the little girl squeaked, obviously unsatisfied at the sight. "How come the butterfly goes to him and not me!"

"Maybe it's because you're not tall enough, sweetie," replied the mother. "You probably should wait until you grow up."

"Then I'll be tall enough for the butterfly to land on my hand?"

"Yes, you'll be tall enough for that to happen. But you just have to be patient, sweetie."

The girl nodded. "Okay!" She then pointed Takahashi, or specifically the butterfly. "Just you wait, Mr. Butterfly! One day, I'm gonna be so tall, you'll have to land on my hand! Okay?" She then waved as her mother guided her away. "Bye-bye, Mr. Butterfly!"

The white butterfly softly flapped its wings once, as if it was waving back at the child. It remained on Takahashi's finger for a couple of seconds before flying off. As the redhead watched it leave, he remembered something, from a long time ago...

_ **"Mommy?"** _

_ **"Yes, Arata-kun, dear?"** _

_ **"Is it true that butterflies carry the souls of the dead?"** _

_ **"Well, wherever did you hear that, Arata-kun?"** _

_ **"Someone in school said that."** _

_ **"Well, they're correct, my dear. My mother once told me the exact same thing. For a long time, it has been believed that butterflies carry the souls of the dead. Heh heh heh. You know, my mother also told me that if you follow a butterfly, you'll eventually solve a really big problem in your life. Or m** _ ** _aybe even some big mystery in life._ ** _ **"** _

** _"Really?"_ **

** _"Yeah. But I've never tried it out."_ **

** _"Wow..."_ **

** _"I know. Amazing, huh? Maybe you should try it out, Arata-kun. See what happens if you get far enough."_ **

On instinct, Takahashi began following the butterfly.

_"This is so stupid,"_ he thought in disbelief. _"But...if I keep having visions of some other life, if I keep feeling like I met complete strangers before, then perhaps this isn't _totally_ impossible... Maybe...just maybe...I'll find an answer..."_

However, after several minutes of following the butterfly, Takahashi started to lose sight of it as it flew higher and higher into the sky. Eventually, it became nothing more than a meaningless speck. Knowing he obviously couldn't go any further, the redhead sighed in defeat and stopped walking.

"Oh, what was the point?..." he asked himself in a low whisper. "It's just some stupid traditional belief from the days of old. Nothing that would be of any use to me..."

Takahashi looked around aimlessly, as if expecting the answer to his big problem or big mystery to be present somewhere nearby. But naturally, nothing of note presented itself.

_ **"Thank you for loving me."** _

_ **"Please don't pass on, Kanade! Kanade!"** _

_ **"Truly, deeply...thank you for giving...my life to me."** _

_ **"...Kanade... KANADEEEEEEEEEE!"** _

_ **"Don't you get it, man? Don't stop. Your answer's nearby. Go find her."** _

"Damn it." Takahashi placed his hands upon his forehead, gritting his teeth in the process. "Goddamn it all."

_ **"You have to find her."** _

"No."

_ **"Find Kanade."** _

"_No_."

_ **"Go!"** _

Takahashi became rigid for a single second. Then, he began walking forward again, but seemingly not out of his own accord. Instead, it was as if some other force was guiding him like a puppet.

"Alright," he said, almost subconsciously; his voice was brimming with absolute certainty. "Alright." He quickened his pace. "Whatever you say..."

He continued walking and walking and walking, passing building after building after building. There seemed to be no plan in his movements whatsoever.

_Hm-hmm-hm-hmmmmm-hmmm-hm-hmmmmm-hm-hm-hm-hmm..._

Even he knew how pointless it was to keep walking, and yet he still felt motivated to continue onward.

_Hmm-hm-hmmmm-hm-hm-hmm-hmmmm-hm-hmmm..._

But he couldn't keep moving like this for the rest of the day. He had to get home soon-

_"Wait a minute,"_ Takahashi thought, stopping in his tracks. The humming noise, it wasn't just in his head.

And it sounded _familiar_...

He looked over his shoulder and saw..._her_. She had a different hairstyle and choice of clothing...but there was no mistaking that silver hair.

It was Chouko Hashimoto, looking down at a cellphone.

"Hm-hm-hm-hmmm-hmm-hm-hm-hm-hmm-hmm..."

At that point, Chouko had put away her cellphone and was now walking in the opposite direction.

_ **"It's her..."** _

Takahashi ran after her, not wanting to look desperate in front of the other pedestrians. However, she already seemed like she was a mile away, so he quickened his pace considerably. He didn't know why, but now this force that was compelling him now wanted to be with her. Forever and ever. Takahashi couldn't afford to let her go again, no matter how turbulent their relationship was, no matter how badly it ended...

Within a second or two, she was at arm's length. Exerting an unusual amount of effort, the redhead reached out his hand towards her shoulder, as if touching it was a highly critical move... But even then, the laws of nature themselves seemed to be against this development. Time itself seemed to slow to an absolutely horrendous crawl, just when his fingertips were so close to her shoulder...

He was so close...

...

...

...

His fingertips made contact. With time apparently resuming its normal speed, Takahashi raised his hand by a couple of centimeters and tapped the shoulder again in quick succession.

Chouko twirled around, as if expecting to see someone else standing there. Then, her expression rapidly changed.

"Takahashi?" she asked.

"Chouko," replied the redheaded teenager, looking as if he recovered from a really long stupor. He forgot what drove him to catch her attention in the first place, but...it felt natural.

Like a big mystery in his life just got answered.

He gave her a shockingly genuine smile. "Hey. Long time, no see."

* * *

...

...

...

_ **SYSTEM_ERROR** _

_ **SYSTEM_ERROR** _

_ **SYSTEM_ERROR** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are back, ladies and gentlemen!
> 
> Probably not my best chapter (especially the first half of it), but certainly far from the worst. Before you ask, yes, I did look up the cultural significance of butterflies in Japan. There's a lot you can learn from even the most harmless insect.
> 
> In addition to that, I had to watch the final scene of the final episode of the anime, in order to painstakingly write down and time Angel/Kanade/Chouko's humming to the most precise detail as possible. Lots of replays ensued with that one. It's probably not the best reenactment, but it was either that or install an audio file of the actual humming to offer a sense of realism. And we all know the latter cannot possibly happen. Not with this site.
> 
> And...system error? Does that mean my computer's gonna crash on me?! (Jk.)
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	16. Fading Dream, Rising Reality

**CHAPTER 15: FADING DREAM, RISING REALITY**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

* * *

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

* * *

**Mitaka Station**

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, ARATA-KUN BAILED OUT ON US?!"

Naotatsu and Royama both flinched as Kimiko literally hollered in their faces, using a volume that must've required a great exertion of her vocal cords, lungs, and diaphragm. Her voice was so loud and high-pitched that it might've as well ruptured their eardrums. Never before had either of them (or the entire Global Awareness Club, for that matter) seen their leader so enraged in their lives.

"I mean, Takahashi-kun bailed out on us," Royama replied hesitantly as he rubbed his ear.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! DOES HE NOT KNOW HE'S STILL _NEEDED_?! THAT _I_ NEED HIM?!"

"_You_ need him?..." Rikana asked, her eyebrow arched quizzically.

"Y-You know what I mean!" Kimiko exclaimed, her cheeks tinted with the slightest of embarrassed pink. "He still needs to install those cameras he bought for us!"

"We already did that, Nishimura-san..." replied Naotatsu.

"Yeah," Royama deadpanned. "We were sexually harassed and nearly mugged in the process..."

"W-We-Well, w-we need as many h-hands on deck for this operation!"

In the background, the other club members were observing Kimiko's behavior with amusement.

"Huh," commented Sachiyo. "Looks like Nishimura-san's gone into a bit of a tsundere mode here..."

"Tsundere?" Hozumi asked in an oblivious and innocent manner. "What's a tsundere, Sugisata-san?"

"A type of character, usually female, with a cold and even hostile exterior, with a warmer, loving side buried deep within. He or she has a crush on someone, but they can only properly express it in the form of antagonism and even violence. At first. But eventually, this cold exterior melts, and the tsundere warms up to the harem protagonist. But she is blocked off by all of her other rivals, who are equally vying for the protagonist's attention! The childhood friend! The cold, distant student council president! The adorable little sister loli! The-"

"What're you talking about now?..." interrupted Hozumi, still clearly confused.

"The point is, Nishimura-san clearly has a cr-"

**"I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON ARATA-KUN!"** roared Kimiko, having somehow overheard their offhanded conversation. **"THIS ISN'T EVEN A HAREM ANIME!"**

"And that, Karu-chan, is a prime example of a tsundere's cold and hostile exterior."

**"_SUGISATA_!"**

"Ahhh!" Hozumi exclaimed, looking like a young child who had just learned something new. "I see now!"

* * *

**Mitsuishi Group Headquarters  
** **Chiyoda, Tokyo**

_ **"My mother once told me the exact same thing. For a long time, it has been believed that butterflies carry the souls of the dead. Heh heh heh. You know, my mother also told me that if you follow a butterfly, you'll eventually solve a really big problem in your life. Or m** _ ** _aybe even some big mystery in life._ ** _ **"** _

** _"Really?"_ **

** _"Yeah. But I've never tried it out."_ **

** _"Wow..."_ **

** _"I know. Amazing, huh? Maybe you should try it out, Arata-kun. See what happens if you get far enough."_ **

_"For once, I can see it now, Mom..."_

"Chouko. Hey. Long time, no see."

It was uncomfortably silent, and other pedestrians gave strange, furtive glances as they passed by, but the redheaded boy and the silver-haired girl paid no mind. Takahashi and Chouko merely stood there for the longest time, motionless, looking at each other like long-lost lovers who found each other once again. But for once, neither of them could argue against this feeling. After all, it was a very relaxing one. They didn't deserve to let go of it.

But alas, good things always had to come to an end.

"What're you doing here?" Chouko asked, but her voice was devoid of the usual cold, robotic tone that was ingrained to her brain. Instead, it was legitimately quizzical. Then, she added with some hesitation, "Takahashi?"

"Me?" replied Takahashi. "I should be asking _you_ that. I thought you were in witness protection?"

Chouko hesitated again before responding, "I sneaked out. Came here on my own."

"_You_? You _sneaked out_?" Then, Takahashi let out a single laugh before he could control himself. This didn't go unnoticed by Chouko, who frowned and puffed out her cheeks in displeasure.

"And I suppose you find that a source of comedy?"

"Sorry." The redhead chuckled and scratched his cheek. "It's just... For all of those days I've known you, I never thought you'd actually break any rule set in stone by your dad."

The silver-haired girl looked away, guilt marking her expression.

"I highly regret it."

"But that's something anyone would call healthy. I admire that, Chouko."

Chouko's eyes widened, and she looked back at Takahashi, who was giving her this cheerful, supportive smile that would make any other girl's heart warm. She suppressed a tiny smile, just before certain thoughts returned to her mind.

** _"And then, before she died, she told me that she was no longer afraid to die. She was that content. She never told me why, but I knew it was because that meant she would finally meet the man who saved her life. Yuzuru Otonashi."_ **

** _"Tell Yuzuru I said hi."_ **

Chouko hadn't bothered to look up what this Yuzuru Otonashi character looked like, but she wouldn't be surprised if he were a dead ringer for Takahashi, just like how Kanade Tachibana was a dead ringer for her. Their surnames even sounded a bit similar, for crying out loud!

But the true question is...should she share with Takahashi everything she had found? Would he believe her? Was he even experiencing the same things she was?

Before she could mull any further about what she should do next, Takahashi spoke up again.

"Let's sit down?"

He gestured towards a nearby bench. After examining it for a moment, Chouko nodded in approval, and the two teenagers walked over to it and sat down. Once they were settled in, Takahashi started the conversation.

"So, why exactly are you in Chiyoda? You here for the sightseeing?"

Chouko blinked. "I actually wanted to...see someone."

"You wanted to...see someone?" Takahashi repeated, his eyebrow raised. "See who?"

"...You're not going to believe me if I told you..."

Takahashi looked into her golden eyes determinedly. "Try me."

Chouko looked back into the redhead's eyes and realized how serious he sounded. She still wasn't sure if he was going to believe her. But with all of the strange things that had been happening between them, she knew she had to stop thinking that way. Right now, it seemed as if fate was bringing them together...or _back together_ for this purpose. Even if Takahashi wasn't experiencing the same thing as her, he had to be experiencing something close. Surely he would have experienced something he found strange later-

_ **"NO! STOP! ** _ **NO** _ **! KANADE!"** _

Upon remembering the incident at the shed, during the cult's attack on Hashimoto Manor, Chouko realized that the two finally had something in common.

"Listen, Takahashi," she said, "have you ever heard of a girl named...Kanade Tachibana?..."

_ **"Thank you for loving me."** _

_ **"Please don't pass on, Kanade! Kanade!"** _

_ **"Truly, deeply...thank you for giving...my life to me."** _

_ **"...Kanade... KANADEEEEEEEEEE!"** _

_ **"Find Kanade. Go!"** _

Takahashi blinked in surprise as the distant voices and memories returned to his head. He didn't know how or why Chouko learned about this Kanade person, whoever she was, and he was going to find out. And to do that, he needed to get some sort of reaction from her.

Acting quickly, he replied, "No. Why? What about her?"

Chouko narrowed her eyes in suspicion and said, "You _have_ heard of her. From somewhere. You called me that name back at the shed. When that person, that madman was about to attack me."

As he mentally affirmed how Chouko learned the name, the redheaded boy could feel the ghost of the pain inflicted by the blow on his head, as if the forces of the Universe were attempting to remind him about what happened. "Alright, yeah. I do know someone by the name of Kanade. Never recalled the surname, though."

"What do you know about her?"

"I've got nothing. I just keep hearing her name around." He then noticed the strange glimmer in Chouko's golden eyes, and he narrowed his red ones slightly, so she wouldn't notice. Takahashi felt he was getting closer to an answer. "What do _you_ know about her?"

"She was a sixteen-year-old girl."

Takahashi blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry, _was_?"

"She died."

Takahashi's lower jaw inched open in surprise. "_Died_?"

Chouko nodded, and at that moment, she almost felt sympathetic for Kanade and the torturous life she was forced to go through. "From leukemia. She died sixteen years ago. On April 3, 2010. By any chance, does that date mean anything to you?"

_ **"Huh? ...Where am I? What happened? ...Can't remember a thing..."** _

_ **"You up yet?"** _

An image suddenly flashed across Takahashi's memory for the quickest second. He could've sworn it was about a familiar magenta-haired, green-eyed girl, who was wielding a sniper rifle that was way too large for her to support. She was aiming it somewhere...

"I don't know," the redhead replied. "Does... Does Kimiko have something to do with it?..."

"Kimiko?" asked Chouko. "You mean Nishimura?"

"Yeah, her."

"Not that I am aware of." Chouko sighed heavily before continuing, "Her mother works here." She glanced at the Mitsuishi Group Headquarters building and pointed towards it. "Kanade's mother Harumi. I was hoping to visit her. Ask some questions. ...Get some answers." The silver-haired girl then looked back at Takahashi. "What about you, Takahashi? Why are you here in Chiyoda?"

_"Well,"_ Takahashi thought, _"there's no point in hiding it now. She definitely seems interested in this Kanade Tachibana girl as I apparently am."_ Then, he replied out loud, "I have questions of my own, answers to seek as well."

"Do you intend to take it up with Harumi Tachibana as well, or...are you going to ask me your questions."

"Possibly a little bit of both."

Chouko didn't suppress her smile this time. For once, she and Takahashi, the boy who sought to achieve things that were out of his reach, were finding some sort of common ground. ...Whatever it was.

"So then, what is it do you wish to ask me about, Takahashi?" she asked.

Takahashi hesitated briefly, then proceeded to ask, "By any chance, do you know anything about a guy named...Yuzuru?..."

** _"Tell Yuzuru I said hi."_ **

_"Should I tell him that?"_ Chouko thought, the gears in her head whirring at fast speeds. _"Should I relay Kanade's message to him? But how do I know if Yuzuru's somewhere inside Takahashi's head, listening? And what will happen if I do? Will something out of the ordinary happen? What if it compromises something? My life? Takahashi's life? Perhaps all of Tokyo? Should I risk it, all for the sake of reuniting a girl with the person who saved her, gave her a second chance at life, no matter how limited it was?..."_

The silver-haired girl didn't get a chance to make a decision, for she heard someone calling out a familiar name, a name that made her heart stop, strangely enough.

"_Kanade_? _Kanade_?! K-Kanade-chan!"

Chouko turned around and saw none other than Harumi Tachibana approaching her. The woman's expression was reading a combination of absolute joy and complete confusion. Chouko couldn't blame Harumi for feeling that way, only...

"Oh my goodness!" Harumi exclaimed, stopping in her tracks. Her cheeks were now pink in embarrassment; apparently, she realized her mistake and was now making an attempt at backtracking. "I'm-I'm sorry! I...I had you confused for someone else!" The silver-haired woman turned around. "I'll-I'll just-"

"Tachibana-san," said Chouko, cutting Harumi off. The woman froze in place, and stood there for over a minute while the two teenagers stared at her back. Chouko had stood up abruptly while calling Harumi; Takahashi remained seated on the bench.

Finally, Harumi turned around, a glint present in her golden eye. "Yes?" she replied, with a hint of hopefulness in her voice.

"My name is Chouko Hashimoto. This is Arata Takahashi." She gestured to Takahashi, who waved at the woman. "Could we perhaps talk somewhere else?"

Harumi stared at Chouko for a few moments before saying, "Sure."

* * *

Unbeknownst to the trio, two pairs of eyes had been observing them from a distance for some time, specifically Takahashi and Chouko. One of them procured a walkie-talkie, pressed a button, and spoke into the device.

"We have eyes on the target," the person said. "She's with _Ka_. Over."

_**"Understood,"**_ replied the voice on the other end. _**"Over and out."**_

* * *

Elsewhere, Fuyuhiko Ezakiya sneered and adjusted his surgical mask as he observed the trio.

"I've gotcha now..." he growled hungrily.

* * *

**Chiyoda Café**

"Thank you," Harumi said as the waiter handed her, Takahashi, and Chouko their trays of food. However, neither of them made an attempt at touching their food; instead, Harumi stared at the two teenagers, and they stared back. At first, they didn't say a word, and an aura of awkwardness hung over them.

Finally, Takahashi chose to break the silence.

"Is there any reason why you would mistake Chouko for your daughter Kanade?" he asked. Then, he added quickly and almost clumsily, "Other than the fact that she pretty much looks like her?" The redhead's eye twitched, as he mentally cursed himself for the awful choice of words.

Harumi sighed and looked out of the nearby window longingly. Chouko could tell she was thinking about something really sensitive, no doubt related to Kanade.

"My Kanade-chan was such a sweet, intelligent, selfless person," she said. "But she could never live the kind of life granted to many other kids her age. She spent so many weeks, months at a time lying in a hospital bed." Harumi shook her head. "The time she spent at the hospital was almost as much as the time she spent at home. Day by day, it was just one health problem after another. Her father couldn't take it early on and left without saying a word."

The looks on Takahashi and Chouko's faces softened greatly. "I'm sorry to hear that," Chouko said.

Harumi almost did not hear her apology. "Whenever her health was at a peak of excellence," she continued, "and believe me, it was not a very optimal peak, nor was that period very long...none of the other children wanted anything to do with her. They thought she was contagious. The only people she could call her friends were any nurses and other hospital staff who had enough soul to actually care. But even then, there came a point where these people wouldn't take it either, seeing her suffering like that endlessly. They'd quit. People would take their place, any of them would feel sympathetic, they soon get heartbroken and cynical...they quit too... Rinse and repeat.

"No father. No friends. Bad health, all around. Many times, I'd wonder why I bothered to remain by her side as support. I...I even had thoughts of ending her...h-her..."

She bit her lower lip and refused to elaborate any further.

"So...why did you keep going?..." asked Chouko.

That was when Harumi smiled happily. "She had hope. No matter how bleak the moment, she always remained hopeful that she'll be better. She had so many dreams, so many aspirations. Kanade-chan wanted to explore the world, see what was beyond the route from her home to the hospital. She wanted to go to a high school full-time, become student council president, and graduate. She wanted to become a doctor. She wanted to save lives, just like how her life was saved. And she _especially_ wanted to-"

"See the cherry blossoms bloom," completed Chouko, without thinking. Harumi smiled and nodded.

"Yes, that. ...I assume you read that news article from so long ago?..."

"Yes."

"Well, you really should've seen her that day. My words couldn't do justice to that awe, that happiness."

Chouko grinned, easily imagining Kanade laughing and dancing underneath the cherry blossom trees. "I also found the post you made, on the 'Realm of Social Anxieties' forum."

"So you have." Harumi exhaled softly. "That post was just the tip of a big iceberg, Chouko-chan. Ever since I wrote it, I've learned so much more from those dreams...or visions. Whatever you wish to call them."

Takahashi and Chouko instantly came at full attention. "What did you learn?" Takahashi asked.

"First and foremost, she told me about _you_, Chouko-chan," Harumi replied, focusing on Chouko specifically. "She told me that she had been reincarnated...into _you_."

Chouko blinked twice in bewilderment. "What?" she asked.

"Chouko...you _are_ Kanade. Reborn."

The silver-haired girl immediately fell silent, completely flabbergasted by what she had just learned. Harumi's words, and the revelation they posed, hit her like a ton of bricks. _She_ was Kanade Tachibana reincarnated? _That_ was why she was seeing Kanade in her dreams, why Kanade's memories were overlapping with hers?

Sensing Chouko's shock, Harumi continued, "I know it's hard to believe, Chouko. I couldn't believe it myself, at first. But the more time I spent in that...that _realm_, with my daughter, the more I started believing. Finally, I knew it was more than just wishful thinking. It's the truth. It's _reality_."

"Wait a minute," Takahashi said. "If you knew all about Chouko through your daughter, then...why'd you think you mistook us with someone else at first?"

"Kanade-chan told me a lot about Chouko, but not where she was or what she looked like. As you saw, I sort of pieced it together that Chouko would look a little like my Kanade-chan, and..." She chuckled in embarrassment. "I guess I got a little ahead of myself back there. But when you told me your name, Chouko, I knew you were the one who has my daughter somewhere inside there."

She tapped her head thrice for emphasis. However, Chouko remained silent, still in complete disbelief about the stunning revelation. _She_ was the reincarnated form of Kanade Tachibana... Kanade Tachibana, a girl connected to her through strings sewn by forces no one can possibly describe or understand... A connection she was never supposed to know about under normal circumstances...

"What about me?" asked Takahashi. "Did she tell you anything about me?"

Harumi smiled. "Have you ever heard of the name Yuzuru Otonashi?"

Takahashi shook his head. "Not until today, no."

The woman blinked in surprise at the redhead's response. "I'm surprised you haven't. Even in today's standards, it's a story known across all of Japan and the rest of the world!"

It was Takahashi's turn to blink in surprise. "Why? What'd this guy do that made him so important?"

"It was immediately after the New Year, 2010. Yuzuru Otonashi was a recent high-school graduate, planning on taking his college entrance exam. He wanted to become a doctor, just like my Kanade-chan. However, the train he took to the college derailed. It had just entered a tunnel, and the derailment caused the tunnel to collapse on both sides. Everyone except a dozen people or so died, but the survivors were trapped inside the tunnel, badly wounded with no way out.

"Otonashi was one of the survivors. But unlike the others, he never gave up. He alone took responsibility over the other survivors, nursing them and attending to whatever need they had. He instilled hope in them, and also confidence over their survival. When their supplies ran out and they were dying, Otonashi chose to become an organ donor, so he could continue helping people in need even after death. The other survivors followed suit.

"Eventually, rescue workers were able to extract the survivors, but by then, it was too late. Otonashi had died. To this day, people call him the hero of the JR East Railway disaster."

Takahashi listened to the story with awe and fascination that increased with every minute he heard Harumi speak. He had heard about this story many times before: every year, on a day immediately following the New Year, there would be news reports on the anniversary of a horrifying train crash...and the inspirational tale that bloomed out of the wreckage. Now that he thought about it, he realized how much of a shame it was that he never listened in on those reports, for he was never terribly interested...

"But even in death, Otonashi continued to help others," continued Harumi. "His heart was donated to my Kanade-chan, who was suffering heart failure at the time. She was at the tail end of her life, with so many afflictions bearing down on her body and health at the same time. The doctors said that such a donation was ultimately meaningless, because it just meant extending her life by only a couple of weeks. But Kanade wanted to go through with it. So, after tense hours of waiting, I realized that the surgery was a success, and Kanade could stay on this world for a little while longer.

"That's why she was able to see the cherry blossoms bloom in the first place. All because of Yuzuru Otonashi's heart, in both the literal and figurative sense. It was bigger than any of ours could hope to be. Maybe that's why Kanade-chan was able to exceed doctors' expectations and live three months longer..."

Her voice trailed off, allowing Takahashi to be left alone with his thoughts. So apparently, from what he could piece together from the tidbits of strange memories he experienced, plus this newfound information, Otonashi and Kanade finally met in the afterlife during a strange series of events, struck a relationship of sorts, and then separated for some reason.

_"Separated, as in..."_

"Tachibana-san," Takahashi said, "I take it what you're saying is that..._I'm_ Yuzuru Otonashi..._reborn_?"

"It would seem that way, Takahashi-kun. I've seen photos of Otonashi, and I must say, you look a lot like him. Just like how Chouko-chan reminds me of my Kanade-chan."

Takahashi looked down at his tray in utter disbelief. "Wow... I mean, this... _Wow_... This explains the voices in my head...all the strange memories...the way I look at people and realize how familiar they seem..."

"But why is this happening?" Chouko asked suddenly, having recovered from her stupor. "Why is Kanade invading my mind? _Your_ mind?" She gestured to Harumi. "Why is Otonashi invading _his_ mind? If we truly are them reincarnated, surely we're not supposed to know anything about this, or have the spirits of our previous lives interfere with our present lives! Doesn't this go against the laws of this cycle?"

"I'm not sure why it's happening either," Harumi replied. "I've searched for answers to this phenomenon for so long, and I couldn't get anything useful outside of that discussion thread."

"Sorry, but what is this discussion thread about?" asked Takahashi.

"This person asked if anyone's ever waken up from a dream feeling like that dream physically happened." When Takahashi raised an eyebrow in confusion, Harumi elaborated, "The person asked if anyone's ever felt like their dream wasn't a dream at all. He only got three responses in a span of five months, and no more. I felt bad for him."

"Hmmmmm..." The redheaded teenager placed a finger on his chin, immersing himself in thought. Then, he snapped his fingers. "There has to be a reason this guy asked in the first place! Did he ever explain why he was asking that?"

Harumi shook her head. "No. All he did was ask." Then, her eyes glimmered in understanding. "I get it! We track this person down and ask why he wanted to know! Maybe he'll have an answer for us somewhere! That's a great idea, Takahashi-kun!"

Takahashi and Chouko watched as Harumi gushed in excitement. They couldn't help but note how _youthful_ she looked for a woman who seemed close to retirement. Perhaps a small part of her didn't move on from Kanade's death, deep down?...

Then, she slumped her shoulders in sadness. "Only...I don't know my way around hacking and figuring out where someone sends a post..."

_ **"Call me Christ."** _

"I know someone who might help," Takahashi blurted out, before he himself knew what he was going to say.

Chouko and Harumi looked at him. "You do?" asked Chouko.

"Yeah. Touya Hamada. He's the researcher for the club I'm in. He's a computer whiz; I'm sure he'll find out the origin of a post in seconds. I just need to know what the forum and discussion thread are called."

"Okay," Harumi replied. "The forum is called 'Realm of Social Anxieties', and the discussion board is called 'A Thin Line Separating Dream from Reality'. You got it?"

Takahashi merely looked at her with a deadpan expression.

"I'm probably gonna need a pencil and paper for this..."

A couple of minutes passed, and Takahashi was done writing down the information on a scrap sheet of paper. Once he was done, the three stood up from their table and left without barely eating any of their food. Ignoring the unsatisfied waitress they left behind, the trio stepped out of the café and walked across the street, towards the Mitsuishi Group Headquarters building. As soon as they approached the entrance, Harumi turned around to face them.

"I'm afraid my break's over," she said. "Do call me if you have something, the both of you."

"Oh, speaking of which," replied Chouko, "we don't have each other's numbers."

"Ah, yes, I'll give you guys my number. Hold on a sec..."

"Same," added Takahashi.

Within another couple of minutes, the trio exchanged each other's phone numbers. Despite having met Harumi for the first time, Takahashi and Chouko were not hesitant in revealing such a personal detail, for they felt the silver-haired woman can be trusted.

As soon as Chouko and Harumi exchanged each other's numbers, the former was quick to notice the latter's cellphone. On it was...

"Is that Kanade?..." she asked.

Harumi smiled and looked lovingly at the photo of the bedridden but cheerful toddler. "Yes, that's my Kanade-chan...during a much happier time..." She focused her gaze on Chouko now, and the girl could tell what she was thinking. "I know you're not my daughter, and...I know you have your own life to live...outside of Kanade...but..." At this point, she was on the verge of tears, but they were not of the mournful type. "Would you mind allowing me...one...selfish moment?..."

Chouko didn't speak, but she nodded, so subtly that the movement could not be easily noticed. However, Harumi took it as a sign of approval, and she stepped forward...and hugged Chouko tightly, like a mother reuniting with her long-lost child. Takahashi simply watched, unsure if he should feel happy for Harumi or not.

"You even smell like her..." Harumi whispered as she took in a deep breath. Then, she immediately broke the hug, procured a handkerchief, and used it to dabble her tearful eyes. "O-Oh my, goodness me, I'm-I'm sorry, Chouko-chan. I guess I... I guess I'm getting a little carried away with this..."

"We'll call you as soon as we learn anything," Chouko said, in an attempt to break the awkward mood.

"Definitely," Takahashi added.

Harumi glanced at the two teenagers, gave them a joyful and almost relieved smile, and proceeded to stroll back into her workplace. However, before she could go inside, Chouko called out to her.

"Tachibana-san!"

The silver-haired woman turned around. "Yes, Chouko-chan?" she asked.

"You said you learned a lot from Kanade in your visions," replied the girl. "Is there anything else she told you? Anything at all?"

Harumi merely smiled. "I think everything that you need to know should be sorted out between you and him alone."

Once she had turned around and gone into the building, Takahashi turned towards Chouko.

"Shall we go home?" he asked.

Chouko nodded in response, and the two teenagers set off.

* * *

**Between Chiyoda and Mitaka**

They could've taken the train, but for some reason, they felt that they needed all the private space they could get. As a result, Takahashi and Chouko were walking towards Mitaka, where Chouko told Takahashi her safe-house was. The first hour of their walk was spent in complete silence, with both of them at complete attention; after all, they didn't forget about the cult that was out for Chouko's blood, and possibly Takahashi's as well. So far, they didn't see anything suspicious or out of the ordinary.

During the second hour of their walk, when it was clear nothing eventful was going to happen, Takahashi chose to speak up.

"What do you think about all of this?"

"About what?..." Chouko asked absentmindedly.

"Reincarnation," the redhead replied simply. "I mean...did we just unlock the secret of literally life and death? Is this what happens to everyone after they die? They get reborn as someone else?"

"I try not to think about it that much."

"And why not? Aren't you even the least bit curious about all of this? Why Kanade was reincarnated into you and not some other girl on the other side of the world?"

"We will find out when we find whoever wrote that forum post." Chouko looked at Takahashi. "What about you? What do _you_ think?"

Takahashi was silent for a moment, and he looked off into the distance, mulling over the jumble of thoughts in his head. He could discern emotions of shock and disbelief, first and foremost. Then, there were the stranger, more deeply-rooted reactions, and he didn't know what they were, exactly. Sadness for Yuzuru Otonashi? Confusion, as to why he of all people had to be Otonashi reincarnated? ..._Anger_, at some unknown object or topic?...

"Knowing you," Chouko continued, interrupting the redhead's train of thought, "you're probably prancing with joy in your head."

Prancing with joy in his head? No, Takahashi couldn't dissect that reaction out of his complex mind.

"What makes you think that?" he asked.

"You've always complained and griped and denounced your boring, insignificant, immaterial life. To find out you're the reincarnated form of one of Japan's greatest heroes in recent history... It must be like finding a mine of gold for you, to know you're not that insignificant after all."

Takahashi frowned. "You know what, Chouko? The Arata Takahashi of two months ago would've loved to know that. He would've pranced in joy, like you so elegantly put it. But now...I don't know."

Chouko arched an eyebrow in curiosity. "What do you mean, Takahashi?"

"I mean...his memories are now _my_ memories. Who he once was...is now who _I_ am. His heart is _my_ heart." The redhead placed a hand over his heart for emphasis. "Everything about him now belongs to me. But...I'm not him. I did not ask for this. After all..." He shook his head. "I'm not Yuzuru Otonashi. I'm Arata Takahashi."

Chouko blinked in surprise. "Huh. Seems like that madman hit you in the head harder than previously expected, because I would _never_ expect that kind of emotional dialogue from you."

Takahashi frowned in dissatisfaction. "Wow. You still think so lowly of me, don't you?"

"Just a little." Ignoring Takahashi's outraged huff, the silver-haired girl then smiled a tiny smile and whispered to herself, "But you know what? Whoever you are...I'm glad to have met you..."

"What did you said, Chouko?" asked Takahashi, legitimately confused.

Chouko's smile widened as she ignored him and continued to think. Now that the mystery behind Kanade Tachibana was clear to her, so were her own feelings about her situation, and they were bursting to the brim due to the overload of emotion going on right now within her mind.

Months ago, she was Chouko Hashimoto, the heiress of a wealthy, influential family, expected to follow every expectation set in stone for her. And she would do it, no matter how much it dragged her true dreams down. But then, Arata Takahashi came along and challenged her way of thinking, her method of living life, no matter how much she disagreed with his own methodologies. Now, she had the courage and willpower to disobey _her own father_, even if he didn't know about it. It was a first step, a baby step...but it was still a step, nonetheless.

It was just like how Yuzuru Otonashi helped give Kanade Tachibana a few more months of life: both boys showed them the beauty of being alive on one's own accord. Yuzuru Otonashi or Arata Takahashi, whoever was behind the boy that freed her, it mattered not to her. She felt truly, deeply grateful for him...

_ **"Truly, deeply...thank you for giving...my life to me."** _

The silver-haired girl heaved out a sigh and stopped walking. Takahashi noticed this and stopped walking as well.

"Chouko?" he asked. "What's wrong? Why'd you stop?"

She was looking down at the sidewalk, her hair casting her eyes in shadow. At this point in time, the sun was beginning to set, and a pinkish-orange hue was tinting the light as it illuminated the streets. Her back was facing towards the sunlight, casting her entire front in shadow as well. Takahashi feared that if the light got any brighter, it would engulf Chouko whole...

"Arata Takahashi," she said, lifting her face so it would be illuminated brilliantly by the light, "you have given me something truly, truly special. And for what you have done for me, thank you. I understand things are very confusing for you right now; they're very confusing to me too. But...I want you to know that I don't care who you are, or if you don't understand why I'm telling you all of this. I truly, deeply want to thank you...for giving my life to me."

Takahashi's eyes widened in awe and wonder. The way the sunlight shone on Chouko's face, it brought out a sort of angelic beauty inside of her, something that had been hidden away for many, many years. It was definitely familiar to him now...

And she was wrong for assuming. He understood what she meant, judging by the tone of her voice.

"You're welcome," he replied, "Chouko Hashimoto."

Chouko then turned back to face the sunset and take in all of its radiant beauty. Takahashi followed her gaze and smiled at the sight. It truly was beautiful, watching the sun shine like that...

For the briefest moment, he frowned and felt a horrible sense of apprehension swelling up within him. For some reason, the sunset seemed to signal a terrible omen to him. But he didn't know why he felt this way. Perhaps this visceral reaction was a result of something that happened in Otonashi's life, not his?...

Fortunately for him, Takahashi managed to stomach this strange, foreign emotion and resumed smiling. There was no way he was going to let the experiences of his alleged previous life affect his current life. After all, who in their right mind would be terrified of a beautiful sight like this?

"It's a beautiful sunset, isn't it, Takahashi?" Chouko asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "It really is..."

* * *

_ **SYSTEM_ERROR** _

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, guys, with all these system error messages I'm seeing, I'm worried that my computer's gonna crash on me! (Jk again.)
> 
> Onto more serious matters, I had lots of fun writing this chapter. It may not look like my best writing, but it's far from filler, for we are DEFINITELY getting somewhere on the whole reincarnation theme, at long last! And don't worry, it's going to get better from there starting with the next chapter! :D
> 
> Now, I had plans of adding more scenes to this chapter. However, that couldn't happen, because laziness was already starting to set in again. So, I decided to end it on a bittersweet note. But can you guys guess why Otonashi/Takahashi is so particularly repelled by sunsets? I implemented that little scene for a pretty clever reason. More like an Easter egg, if you will. If you guys can't think of a good reason why I chose to do that, I'll give you a hint: the finale episode.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	17. Otonashi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, everyone! No, this is not some damn April Fool's joke. This is the real effing deal.
> 
> I'm so, so, SO sorry this chapter came out late. I've been so busy with my other fics that I failed to remember all I have to do for this is just copy-and-paste from FanFiction.Net to here. XP
> 
> And ironically, this marks the one-year anniversary this very chapter was posted on FanFiction.Net. On April frigging Fool's Day too! Who would've thunk it?! XD
> 
> Anyway, here's the newest chapter. And I'll tell you, this chapter is going to be quite an exciting one, in case the title didn't indicate anything to you already. ;) 
> 
> ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 16: OTONASHI**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

Takeyama -_ Touya Hamada_

* * *

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

* * *

**Unknown location**

_"Takaha..."_

_"Look at who... here..."_

_"...ko!"_

_"...love a figh..."_

_"Oof! Agh! Ack!"_

_"...not hurt him!"_

_"...hashi!"_

_"...here to hel..."_

_"Please... -er go..."_

_"Keep him al..."_

_"...mighty _Ka_..."_

_"No..."_

** _"I love you...Kanade."_ **

...

...

...

...

...

"Hey, man! Hey! Are you okay?! Wake up!"

"I-I don't think he's gonna wake up, Satoshi-kun..."

"We should call an ambulance, Mai! Look at that wound, for God's sake!"

The redheaded teenage boy jerked his eyelids open, sat up, and gasped for breath frantically, as if he finally emerged from a body of water that he had been submerged in for so long. He found himself in an alleyway, with two people by his side. One was a young, beautiful woman with hazel eyes and chin-length brown hair; while the other was a young man who seemed to be a foreigner, what with his gray hair and blue eyes. The man was kneeling down, while the woman was still standing.

"Whoa!" the man exclaimed. "Whoa, whoa! It's okay!" He hesitantly grabbed the boy's shoulders and gave them a gentle, assuring squeeze. "You're gonna be fine. My girlfriend's gonna call the ambulance-"

"Someone's in trouble," the boy mumbled. "Someone's in trouble..."

"Someone's in trouble? Who?"

The boy groaned and clutched his forehead. At that moment, he could tell why the two were concerned about him: his head was throbbing painfully, and it seemed to be wet with something.

"I don't know..."

As soon as the pain subsided, just a little, the boy withdrew his hand...and realized that the palm was stained with blood. Judging by the amount, some of it might not be his...

Wait a minute...

The boy looked around, examining his surroundings. Then, he glared at the woman, who was dialing a number on the cellphone...or, at least, it _seemed_ to be a cellphone. It didn't look like any design he had seen in his lifetime...

Without a newfound burst of energy, he stood up and grabbed the cellphone out of the woman's hands, ignoring her protests and those of the man. The boy glared at the date and blinked a few times, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. But every time he blinked, the date stayed the same. It was no illusion.

_June 29, 2026._

"Please tell me this isn't right."

"Huh?!" the woman exclaimed, looking rather offended. "Wha-What the heck are you talking about?!"

"_This_!" The boy showed her the date on the homepage of her cellphone. "This CAN'T be the right date! Tell me it isn't!"

"What, are you a time-traveler or something?" the man asked sarcastically. Then, he stood up, heaving out a sigh as he did. "Yes, the date's right. And perhaps you should sit back down. I _really_ don't think you should be up just yet- W-Wha?! HEY!"

The boy was running down the alleyway, towards the bustling street ahead. Once he got onto the sidewalk, bumping into a few pedestrians in the process, he could see it was no joke.

There were skyscrapers in the distance, but the futuristic architecture was crystal-clear to him. So was the design of the vehicles that were driving up and down the road. While the side-street buildings bore a design similar to the buildings he always saw in his lifetime, there was still a futuristic air to them. Even the clothes worn by the pedestrians had a slightly different feel to him, visually speaking.

Even the clothes _he_ was wearing didn't feel right...

"Oi!"

The boy turned around and saw the couple running up to him.

"Don't run off like that, man!" the man cried. "Not while you've got a real bad head injury! Come on, you gotta sit down..."

The man guided him over to a nearby bench. Once he was seated, the boy touched his forehead again as it resumed throbbing. But his focus wasn't on the dizzying pain.

"Hey, do you know what your name is?" asked the woman. "You had no identification on you. You're not suffering from amnesia, are you?"

At first, the boy could only come up with a blank. He was still trying to process the fact that he was in 2026. But once he was able to comprehend her question, he turned his gaze towards her.

As he spoke, a sudden but pleasant image of long silver hair and white feathers flashed across his memory.

"My name is Yuzuru Otonashi," he said.

* * *

Words could not describe how Madoka Igarashi felt right now.

Just yesterday, he learned that Chouko Hashimoto, the girl he was supposed to be hiding, managed to _escape_ the location she was confined at with her father. While the cult he was tracking down was _still_ on the loose, no less! Hours after that, the officers assigned to tail that troublesome boy, Arata Takahashi, had lost complete sight of him. Then, just this morning, he received a call about a teenage boy matching Takahashi's description found in an alleyway, injured and bloodied, with no Chouko Hashimoto still in sight!

Igarashi wanted to blame the oblivious idiots assigned to the teenagers' protection details, but he knew he was to blame as much as them. He was their supervisor, after all; _he_ was the one managing the whole operation! This was going to bite him in the ass hard, maybe even cost him his job. If that were the case, well, then he might as well try and see as much of it through as possible, before the gavel went down.

Thus, Igarashi went on his way to the street where Takahashi was found, hoping to squeeze information out of him. After all, the boy refused to be treated at a hospital. Perhaps he could catch them there before the paramedics had the final say.

As soon as the sergeant arrived at the scene, he saw the last two people he wanted to meet up with before the apocalypse.

"OI! SEKINE!" he barked. "KURAMOTO!"

The two beat cops twirled around, standing tall and rigid. "Igarashi-sama!" they cried, sounding professional for once.

"What the hell is this?!"

"This was our doing, Igarashi-sama," Sekine replied, his voice shaky, "and for that, we express our shame at this horrible development!"

"Yes, you should be ashamed. The boy you were supposed to follow gets jumped, and I'm assuming you were still busy enjoying that woman's Mápó dòufu, is that right?" The officers' faces turned red in embarrassment, prompting him to say, much more loudly, "Is that right?!"

"Yes, Igarashi-sama!" Sekine and Kuramoto cried out.

"It was some damn fine Mápó dòufu too..." Kuramoto muttered quietly, before he could stop himself.

"What was that, Kuramoto?" Igarashi asked. Then, he shook his head. "Never mind. Who're the people who found him?"

"Over there." Kuramoto pointed towards a gray-haired man and a brown-haired woman, who were talking with another officer. "A young couple found him while out on a date. Said he seemed pretty messed up in the head."

The sergeant's eyes narrowed slightly. "And where is Takahashi?"

"Still at that ambulance," replied Sekine, pointing towards the vehicle with the blinking emergency lights. "He's making a bit of a scene, arguing with the paramedics."

"Oh, get this, Igarashi-sama!" Kuramoto suddenly exclaimed, rather eager to regain his superior's approval. "Takahashi-kun keeps claiming he's Yuzuru Otonashi!"

"Oh, yeah! I forgot about that! Yeah, he got a real bad blow to the head during the attack, Igarashi-sama. Could explain all that nonsense he was babbling about when we got there. I mean, _him_, Yuzuru Otonashi? I mean, there's a little physical resemblance, but there's no way."

"Yeah, the guy's been dead for like, what, twenty years?"

"Sixteen," Igarashi muttered.

"What?"

Sekine's question went unanswered, as Igarashi began marching towards the ambulance, an unquenchable fury swelling within him.

_"As if looking like him wasn't enough of an insult,"_ the sergeant thought. _"But _claiming _he's _him_? He's crossed a damn line, that foolish boy!"_

By the time Igarashi reached the ambulance, he held in his anger and tried to put on his professional facade, but it wavered as soon as he laid eyes on Takahashi.

The way he was injured, he looked _just_ like him on that fateful day...

"Alright, back off, man!" Takahashi snapped, prompting the paramedic to take a step away from the stretcher the redhead was on. "You don't understand the situation here! I have to figure out what the hell is going on! I have to save her!"

"S-Save who?..." the paramedic asked.

"I-I don't know! _Her_!" When he saw the look of confusion on the man's face, Takahashi continued in a calmer voice, "Look, all I know is that someone's in trouble, some girl, and...apparently, I'm in 2026..."

"Of course you're in 2026! Look, this is why we have to get you to a hospital, man. That head injury you've got there, it looks like it might be serious. It could've messed with your brain-"

"I'M FREAKING TELLING YOU, I DON'T NEED TO GO TO A DAMN HOSPITAL!"

"Damn right you do," Igarashi snarled, turning Takahashi's attention on him. The redheaded boy blinked in confusion.

"Do...Do I _know_ you?..." Takahashi asked.

Igarashi pursed his lips. Partial amnesia or not, the boy was getting onto his nerves. As if he hadn't already...

Without saying a word, the sergeant stepped forward, quickly produced a pair of handcuffs, and used it to latch Takahashi's left wrist to the stretcher's side-rail.

"HEY!" the boy cried. "WHAT THE HELL, MAN?!"

Igarashi ignored him and glared at the paramedic with a stare that made the man shiver.

"Make sure the stretcher's secure," he instructed. "I'll be following you to the hospital."

"G-Gotcha..." replied the paramedic.

"Hey, mister, let me go!" shouted Takahashi. "Sir, Officer, whatever you want to be called-"

"Sergeant," Igarashi spat.

"Right, Sergeant. Look, Sergeant, someone's life is in danger! You have to believe me!"

At that moment, Igarashi realized that, in his anger, he had nearly forgotten about Chouko Hashimoto.

"Is it Hashimoto?" he asked.

Takahashi looked beyond belief. "What? Who?"

"Chouko Hashimoto."

Still, confusion.

"The daughter of Sadahiro Hashimoto."

Takahashi looked even more perplexed now.

"You and a couple of others stayed over at her place for about a week."

The redhead blinked in surprise. "I...I _did_ that?..." he asked.

Realizing he wasn't going to get any information from him, Igarashi prepared to walk away when...

"Arata?!"

A teenage girl with chin-length pink hair emerged from the crowd of onlookers, followed by four other teenagers: one boy with purple hair and tanned skin; and three girls with brown, blue, and blonde hair. For some reason, Sekine recoiled a little at the sight of the blonde girl.

"Arata!" cried the pink-haired girl, who Igarashi remembered as Hasumi Itagaki, another teenager under police protection. Miraculously, he never had any trouble with _her_ whatsoever...

"Jeez, Hasumi-chan!" exclaimed the brown-haired girl, as she and the others approached the ambulance. "Why're you so concerned about _Mr. Average_ here?"

"He happens to be my coworker, and my friend," Hasumi replied. "I'm not just gonna see him like this and merely walk by." She then looked at Takahashi with a look of concern on her face. "Arata, are you alright? What happened?"

However, Takahashi looked beyond belief. He looked at Hasumi as if he hadn't seen her in years.

"Iwa..._Iwasawa_?..."

Hasumi blinked in surprise. "Come again?"

"H-_How_? How are you _here_?" He then spotted Hasumi's companions, who Igarashi remembered as Noriya Noguchi, Masako Watanabe, Hitomi Saito, and Saori Inoue. "Noda? Hisako? Irie-chan? Sekine-chan?"

"_Huh_?" replied Noriya. "Who the hell is Noda?" However, he grinned and rubbed his chin in thought. "Sounds like a badass name, though-"

"What the hell's going on?!" exclaimed Takahashi. "Why're you guys alive too? Why are we here?! We shouldn't be here! We-"

"What's wrong with him?" Hasumi asked, ignoring the redhead and looking at the paramedic.

"Are you family?" asked the man.

"No, I'm the closest he's ever got for a friend."

"And why'd you call me Arata?" Takahashi asked, but the redheaded boy was ignored again.

"Your friend here received a blow to the head," replied the paramedic as he examined Takahashi's head wound. "Nothing was taken, so it wasn't a robbery."

"Oh, my goodness... And the strange names he's using?"

"I'm betting the blow screwed up his head a little." The man glared down at Takahashi with annoyance. "Which is why I'm highly recommending you go to a _hospital_! I doubt treating it at the scene's gonna do you any good-"

"NO!" interrupted Takahashi. "I can't go to the hospital! Not now!"

"Arata-kun," Hasumi interjected, "the paramedic's right; we don't know how much damage you could've gotten to your head. Don't worry; I'll tell the school and my dad about what happened, and you won't miss a thing."

"No, you don't understand, Iwasawa! I think someone might be in big trouble!"

"There we go again with this mystery girl being in trouble," the paramedic remarked as he started to usher Hasumi out of the ambulance. "We'll be at Chiyoda Hospital if you want to visit him."

"Thank you," replied Hasumi.

"NO!" Takahashi suddenly screamed, startling Hasumi. "Iwasawa! Do-Do you _remember_ me?! It's me! Otonashi!"

In the background, Igarashi grimaced.

"Okay, that's it," spat the paramedic. "We're out of here."

"Noda!" Takahashi glared at Noriya next. "It's Otonashi! Do you remember me?!" Then, he focused on the other girls. "Hisako! Irie-chan! Sekine-chan!" When he was met with confused and disturbed stares, he asked, "Do _any of you_ remember me?!"

"Ew..." Masako replied in disgust.

Takahashi's eyes widened. Then, as if on a whim, he cried out, "The SSS! You gotta remember! The SS-"

Takahashi was cut off when the paramedic slammed the rear doors shut on him. The siren began to blare, and the ambulance started to drive away. Igarashi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori joined Hasumi's sides as they watched the vehicle leave.

"Well," Noriya remarked, "that was, uh..._interesting_..." He looked at his hand, expecting to see something there, but it was empty.

"Why'd he call us by those weird names?" asked Hitomi.

"You heard that paramedic guy, Hitomi-chan!" Saori replied. "Takahashi got hit in the head by someone, and it messed with his memory a little. He got our names mixed up, plain and simple!"

"Yeah..." said Hasumi. "Only...Arata-kun didn't seem confused at all when he called me 'Iwasawa'. It sounded like he _really_ knew me by this Iwasawa character." She looked at her boyfriend and her band-mates. "Same with you guys."

"You don't think he's mentally impaired?" asked Igarashi.

"Well, I'm no expert, Igarashi-san, but from what I've seen, he really doesn't act like someone who's just regained consciousness from a beating."

"She means me," Noriya piped up, crossing his arms smugly.

Igarashi ignored her boyfriend and continued, "And he certainly didn't come up with those strange names off the bat."

"What, you're taking the side of Mr. Average?" Hisako asked, looking utterly repulsed by Hasumi's willingness to defend the redhead's actions.

"And another thing! He didn't react when you called him that, like he usually would."

"So? He probably got used to it. Wish I could say the same about myself when it comes to his _average-ness_."

"No, no, I don't think so." Hasumi looked back in the direction the ambulance took. "Something's up, and it's not confusion caused by a blow to the head..."

Igarashi pursed his lips, and he began walking away from the group of teenagers. "Whatever it is, I'll find out. I'm going to Chiyoda Hospital." He stopped and looked over his shoulder, at Hasumi. "You get to wherever you were headed to before, Itagaki."

"With all due respect, Igarashi-san-" Hasumi suddenly stepped forward, towards the police sergeant. "-I'm coming with."

"You are?"

"He's my friend and coworker. And, to be perfectly honest..." Hasumi looked down at the ground sullenly. "I feel like I let him down. He's always looked to me as a friend, but I've been keeping him at arm's length for most of the time. I haven't been exactly supportive of him. I need to make it up to him, somehow."

"You've gotta be KIDDING me!" Hisako shouted. "You're feeling SORRY for Mr. Average?!"

"B-But what about the concert, Hasumi?!" Hitomi asked.

"You guys go on without me," Hasumi replied bluntly. "I'll catch up with you later."

"Oh, hell no!" Noriya snapped, and he joined his girlfriend's side. "You're not going anywhere without me!"

The pink-haired girl sighed heavily. "Noriya, bug off. You can't make me come along with you-"

"I'm not making you come to that concert. I'm going _with_ you. Who do you think I am?! And, I mean, I'm not gonna let my girl catch any of the lameness that is Arata Takahashi!" He looked at Igarashi. "So, where were we going again?"

Meanwhile, Hisako was utterly dumbfounded.

"I don't believe this!" the brown-haired girl exclaimed. "I don't believe this! Hasumi's acting all nice to Mr. Average and she isn't even batting an eye for music now!" She threw her hands up in the air in despair. "I-I just can't believe it..."

"Ah, calm down, Hisako..." deadpanned Saori. "This can't be _that_ bad!"

* * *

_With a speed he thought was impossible coming from him, the boy ran after the group of hooded men as they carried her away. He could hear her screaming for him, and he knew at that moment that he couldn't let her down. He couldn't let them get away. He HAD to stop them!_

_"STOP!" he roared at the top of his lungs._

_He heard one of the men say something; two others stopped and stood between him and their comrades, hoping to give them more time. But he wasn't going to let that stop him!_

_"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"_

_He charged forward, his fist raised. One of the men tried to deliver a faster punch, but he was able to duck out of the way and punch him in the back of the neck. As his would-be assailant fell over, stunned, the other charged towards the boy, his own fist raised._

_"You're not gonna stop us from achieving our goal!" the man screamed._

_"Try me!" the boy replied, before he launched himself forward and collided into the man. Both fell over, with the boy on top; he started pummeling the attacker with everything he had._

_Then, before he could land another punch, the boy felt something hard slam down on his head. With a cry of pain, he fell off the man, and his world began spinning in seconds. His vision was fading in and out repeatedly, and he could barely hear the words being exchanged._

_"...finish you..."_

_"NO!"_

_He heard a slap, then a loud bang, then a metallic clattering sound._

_"You mustn't... jeopardize every... get back... expecting us at Hashimoto Manor..."_

_"Where's my gun?"_

_"Leave..."_

_Then, his world fell black..._

** _"Don't you lose sight of what's important, man. Remember, you've got work to do."_ **

Otonashi opened his eyes.

"Hashimoto Tower!" he cried.

"What?" asked the paramedic sitting beside him.

Otonashi looked around, confused for the briefest moment. Then, as soon as he comprehended the blaring emergency sirens, he realized he was back in the ambulance.

_"What the hell was that?"_ he thought. _"A dream? ...No... No, that felt real...like it actually _happened_... That might've been some sort of memory... But from _where_ exactly?..."_

"What did you say?" the paramedic asked, leaning forward towards Otonashi.

The redheaded boy looked at him. "What's Hashimoto Tower?"

"The epitome of corporate brainwashing," another voice said, his voice dripping with bitterness. Otonashi could only assume the speaker was the one driving the ambulance since there was only one paramedic in the back with him.

The paramedic rolled his eyes and explained, "Wh-What my partner's trying to say is that...well, see, Hashimoto Tower is the headquarters of Hashimoto Communications. And Hashimoto Communications is a broadcasting company that's been around for God knows how long. It's responsible for a lot of the news we get every day."

_"Hashimoto Communications,"_ Otonashi thought. _"I think I've heard about a Hashimoto Broadcasting in my previous life... Hashimoto... Why does that sound familiar?..."_

** _"Chouko Hashimoto. _ ** ** _The daughter of Sadahiro Hashimoto."_ **

"That's it!"

"Agh!" the paramedic yelped. "For the love of all that is holy, don't scream! You need to relax your brain-"

"There's a reason why that sergeant mentioned her name to me!" continued Otonashi. "She must be that girl!"

"Who is what?" asked the driver.

"Chouko Hashimoto! The girl who's in trouble!"

Otonashi raised his head to try and look at the driver, but he only elicited a slight yet dizzying pain to his head, and he grimaced. This prompted the paramedic to grab his head and gently set it back down on the soft mattress of the stretcher.

"C-Can you drive me over to Hashimoto Tower?" asked Otonashi. "She might be over there-"

"Okay," interrupted the paramedic in exasperation, "I don't know if you heard me the last ten times, but _you're supposed to be going to a hospital_."

"And like I told _you_ the last ten times, I don't need to go to a damn hospital!"

The man scowled. "That's it. I'm sedating you. I can't take any more of this crap..."

He turned away and began rummaging through his medical bag for a syringe, muttering to himself about something that Otonashi assumed wasn't anything good about him. At that moment, a glint suddenly caught Otonashi's attention at precisely the right moment, as if something was calling out to him. The redhead glared to the right, towards the small bag he had on him when he regained consciousness in the alleyway; it was now conveniently in arm's reach.

He didn't know how or why it got inside, but he could see it sticking out of the open zipper as bright as day: the barrel of a pistol.

Without any hesitation, Otonashi grabbed the barrel, pulled the full weapon out of the bag, and examined it. In another strange convenience, it was the exact model of his liking: a 9-millimeter Glock 17 Gen 2.

"Alright," the paramedic said, turning back towards Otonashi with a filled syringe in his hand. "If this won't shut you up for good, then..."

His voice trailed off the moment he saw Otonashi holding the gun. At first, the redhead had it awkwardly pointed to the vehicle's roof, but he then aimed the barrel at the paramedic. He didn't know if the gun was loaded, but he had to act on good faith now. After all, a life depended on it. To hell with the consequences!

"Sorry, man, but you're taking me to Hashimoto Tower. Got it?"

The paramedic's face paled considerably as he said with a quaky voice, "Ak-Akiyama? Ch-Change of plan. Dr-Drive us t-to Hashimoto T-Tower..."

"You don't need to ask me twice, man," the driver replied nonchalantly, as if it was common for him to be held hostage by patients riding in the back.

Otonashi then gestured to his left wrist, which was still handcuffed to the stretcher's side-rail.

"Take these off," he ordered.

"H-Hey!" exclaimed the paramedic, raising his hands in innocence. "Take it up with the policeman who cuffed you there, not me!"

Otonashi sighed heavily and aimed the gun at the metal chain linking him to the stretcher, praying to the heavens that the gun was loaded. He pulled the trigger, and heard a familiar loud bang that temporarily provoked his headache. With his left hand now free, he was able to clutch his now-bandaged forehead as the pain subsided.

_"How in the hell is all of this happening?..."_ he thought. _"First, I'm back in the real world, but in 2026. Then, I meet up with Iwasawa, Noda, and the rest of the Girls Dead Monster, but they've all forgotten about me. What's more confusing, they're calling each other different names...and me too..."_ He moved his left hand away so he could examine the exposed palm. _"Are... Are we?..."_

At the corner of his eye, he saw the paramedic trying to raise his right hand, which was still clutching the filled medical syringe. He immediately aimed his gun at the man, stopping him in his tracks.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Otonashi spat. "All I'm asking is for you to take me to Hashimoto Tower. That's all."

"What the hell do you hope to accomplish over there?" asked the man. Then, his eyes widened. "You're...You're one of _them_! Aren't you?!"

"One of...what? One of who?"

"That cult! That cult that's been going around the country killing people! You're with them!"

Otonashi blinked in surprise and confusion. "There's a cult killing people all over Japan?"

"Don't you try to deny it! You're gonna try and infiltrate Hashimoto Tower so you can let the rest of your buddies in! Then you're gonna do God-knows-what in there! Well, I'll tell you something! You're not gonna win! Whatever sick beliefs you hold, you're not gonna force them on the rest of us!"

"No! Look, you don't understand, man! I don't know anything about a cult! I only want to get to Hashimoto Tower so I could get answers! Like I said, some girl's in trouble and I gotta help her!"

However, the paramedic seemed to be beyond reason; spit flew out his mouth as he spoke, giving him the semblance of a rabid dog. "Oh, I'm not gonna fall for any of the lies you spout from your scummy cultist mouth!"

Otonashi deadpanned, "Man, you sure have a lot of bravado, insulting and shouting down someone who's holding you at gunpoint."

"SHUT UP! You're not gonna get anything out of me! You cultists are nothing but scum of the Earth!"

Otonashi immediately lowered the gun and turned towards the driver's seat, where he could see Akiyama at the wheel with a strangely calm demeanor that bordered on nonchalance.

"How long till we get to Hashimoto Tower?" he asked.

"Another ten minutes or so," Akiyama replied. "But it all depends on the traffic, and believe me, the rush hour here is pretty serious."

Once again, the familiarity of his voice bothered Otonashi, but he decided to ignore it. He turned back to the paramedic, just in time to see the man flying at him with the syringe.

"ARGH!"

Otonashi was quicker; he instinctively raised the butt of his gun and slammed it down on the paramedic with as much force as he could muster. The man dropped the syringe and stumbled backward, the most comical look of disbelief on his face for a second. Then, with a stunned wheeze, he collapsed to the floor of the ambulance.

"What the hell?..." asked Otonashi, just as flabbergasted as the paramedic was before he lost consciousness.

"Don't worry about him, man," Akiyama replied. "The government just announced a nice sum of reward money for the capture of even one cultist, and he's been yapping on about it nonstop. Can't say I blame him for his over-eagerness, though. His mom's in the hospital, down with something serious."

Hearing that made Otonashi feel an unusual surge of pity towards the paramedic.

"Anyway, don't worry, man. If anyone asks, I'll tell them I took a hard turn and he accidentally hit his head. I've never had the best skills behind a wheel anyway."

Otonashi blinked, surprised at the driver's willingness to help him out despite the crime he had just committed. But it was better than nothing, and he really didn't want to force another person to do something he didn't want to do at gunpoint.

"Thank you, sir," he replied.

"You're welcome."

* * *

**Nishimura Household  
Nishitōkyō, Japan**

She didn't know what was going on.

Kimiko Nishimura first woke up to what seemed like another normal morning for her. She immediately started it by making plans for another Global Awareness Club meeting, all the while holding high hopes that she'd see Takahashi there. It was not because she had a crush on him, mind you! There was no way she'd have an interest in that redheaded dimwit of a guy who would risk his own neck heroically to save her life... She just wanted to see him because of the way he quickly and unexpectedly _ditched_ her and the rest of the club. Oh, how angry she was at him! She REALLY wanted to give him a piece of her mind...

Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed the moment her house was suddenly surrounded by police cars, less than an hour into her morning.

"Hey!" her father, Youichirou, was shouting as three officers approached the front porch, guns and riot shields drawn. "Hey, what the hell is going on?! Is it that cult?!"

"It could be, Nishimura-san," one officer replied. "We just received instructions to keep you, Kimiko, and your other children confined in the premises pending further notice."

"How long is this going to take?"

"I don't know, sir. Like I said, pending further notice."

Kimiko's skin paled as she watched nearby. _"There's goes the meeting..."_ she thought grimly.

"Wait a minute!" Tamika exclaimed, running out of the kitchen and to the front doorway. "I have kendo practice later today! I've gotta go-"

"Tamika-chan," Kimiko said, stepping forward and placing her hand on her younger sister's shoulder, "you heard the officer. This is for our own safety. Let's..." She grimaced a little at the thought of not being able to go outside for today. "Let's just listen to them, alright?"

"But if I miss kendo practice, then I-"

"Won't be ready for the school championship, I know, I know. But it's just like what Mom always said. We have to think about the bigger picture. This time, the bigger picture is all about safety. Do you understand?"

Tamika looked down at the floor sullenly, but she nodded in silence. Her shoulders down considerably, the second-youngest Nishimura child went up the staircase, probably to retreat to her room. Kimiko sighed in pity for her sister, before she looked at the officer, who was now entering the house with his two compatriots.

"Do you know exactly what happened?" the magenta-haired girl asked.

"What do you mean?" the officer replied.

"Do you know why you got your orders? Something had to have happened to justify this." Then, Kimiko's eyes widened in concern for Takahashi and Hasumi and even Chouko. "Did-Did something happen to-?"

"Sorry, Nishimura-chan, but in the urgency of things, all that matters is the instructions. We didn't get any explanation as to why the higher-ups gave our the orders. Speaking of which, Nishimura-chan, you're barred from contacting anyone via phone or email until we say otherwise. Of course, you are not permitted to leave this house for anything whatsoever. You are to follow everything _I_ say. Do not listen to any of the other officers here. If you receive any contradicting instructions, you _must_ follow what _I_ say. Understood?"

"Yeah," Kimiko replied, nodding. "Understood."

The magenta-haired girl watched as more officers stormed inside her house, with her father helpless to stop them. Then, she heard a terrified squeak, and looked sideways. Standing in the doorway leading into the kitchen was Kaisei, who was rooted to the spot in fear of the officers.

"W-Wh-What's g-going on?..." he asked in a stutter.

"E-Everything's alright, Kaisei!" Youichirou exclaimed, stepping forward and kneeling down so he could console his only son. "These police officers are here to protect us."

"Protect us?" Kaisei looked utterly mortified. "Protect us from what? Something bad?"

"Kaisei-chan," Kimiko said in the sternest voice she could muster, "we need you to go to your room. Now."

Not one to argue with his older sister, Kaisei nodded his head with a meek but loyal "Okay, Onee-chan..." before the boy ventured up the stairs. Kimiko's eyes followed him, and that was when she noticed Naomi standing at the top, playing around her phone idly as usual, like it was any other morning for her.

"Naomi-" Kimiko began.

"What?" interrupted Naomi, not looking up from her device. "We're not in any imminent danger, are we? I see no reason to go to my room. I'm not some little kid who needs to be coddled, you know..."

Kimiko opened her mouth to argue, but then, she remembered.

For the past couple of months, she had been spending more time with Takahashi, much more than any of the other members in the Global Awareness Club, even Naotatsu. About half of that time was spent with them sharing with each other their daily lives and problems. Takahashi also spent that time giving her pointers on how to improve her relationship with Naomi...which she found strange, since he admitted he didn't have any siblings.

He told her one day, _**"Try to understand her emotions. Place yourself in her shoes."**_

But Kimiko didn't know how to do that. Naomi was a very difficult person to understand; she liked things Kimiko didn't like, behaved with such rebelliousness and recklessness that was stronger than Kimiko's own when it came to the Global Awareness Club. She was pretty much Kimiko's polar opposite.

It was such a shame; Kimiko remembered how much Naomi idolized her when they were younger, and did all she could to even look like her.

_"But how the hell can I understand her, Takahashi?"_ the magenta-haired girl thought. _"How could I place myself in her shoes? She's everything I'm not! She's a rebel with a temper to boot, who's convinced that she's right all the time and does whatever she damn pleases!"_

Apparently, it took her a long time to respond, for Naomi smirked and said, "Got nothing to say, _Onee-chan_?"

The normally endearing nickname was spoken with such stinging sarcasm that it irked Kimiko greatly. She clenched her fists, but otherwise kept her cool as she stared up at her younger sister.

"Well, you're gonna give me more crap if I say something," she replied. "So I'm not gonna say anything. You do whatever you want, Naomi. I'm not gonna stop you."

Naomi scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Well, you said something. Sounds to me you're looking for crap to be thrown at you." For the first time, Naomi looked down the staircase and directly at Kimiko. "But thanks for being so lenient on me..._Onee-chan_."

The younger girl left, leaving Kimiko to simmer. At that moment, she desperately wanted to throttle her for being such an insufferable prick...but at that moment, she remembered the last time she did that.

_ **"SO THAT'S WHY YOU HATE ME, HUH NAOMI?! ** _ **_YOU BLAME ME FOR MOM'S DEATH, SO YOU JUST WANT ME TO DIE ALREADY, HUH?! ISN'T THAT RIGHT?! HUH?!_ HUH_?! WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT?! _** **_I WISH_ I _DIED INSTEAD TOO! BUT I DIDN'T! SO INSTEAD, I JUST DECIDED TO MAKE THE BEST OF MY NEW CHANCE AT LIFE BY FULFILLING THE PROMISE I MADE TO MOM! AND THAT'S TO WATCH OVER YOU! AND I_ WILL_! I WILL, I WILL, I_ WILL_!"_**

_"I still didn't get to apologize to her for that... But why should I try, when she's not gonna believe me and just give me the usual banter?"_ Kimiko sighed, sat down on the lowermost step of the staircase, and rested her face on her palms. _"Oh, my God... I'm sorry, Takahashi. I'm doing a _really_ fucking crappy job at being a big sister. ...Heh. Place myself in her shoes, huh? What made you think that was gonna work?! You don't have any siblings! You've never dealt with what I'm dealing with right now! ...Oh, I'm sorry, Takahashi... This is all just stressful..."_

She lifted her face and looked out of the still-open front doorway, where officers were still milling around in the front yard. Whatever happened to cause this, Kimiko knew it had to be something bad.

_"I do hope you're okay, Takahashi..."_ Then, Kimiko smiled dryly. _"Wow. Sachiyo's right. I really do sound like a tsundere."_

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters  
** **Tokyo, Japan**

"Well, here we are, buddy. Hashimoto Communications Headquarters."

Otonashi couldn't help but gawk at the Hashimoto Communications building as the ambulance stopped in front of it. The architectural design was the strangest out of all of the other buildings he had seen today. There was some sort of American influence to it, what with the spire that reminded him of the Statue of Liberty, and the elegant smoothness of the windows. There was also a gargantuan fountain that spouted out clear water as fish swam in it. The Hashimoto family, whoever they were, must've been pretty wealthy and influential to have ownership over this whole area. Not that Otonashi cared much about wealth and influence.

"Thank you, man," Otonashi said, patting Akiyama twice on the shoulder. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You say you're looking for a girl?" Akiyama asked.

"Yeah. She's in trouble; I know that."

"And she's in trouble at Hashimoto Communications?"

"The girl is Chouko Hashimoto, and whoever took her mentioned this place before I passed out. That's all I know."

"Ah. Do you even _know_ this girl."

For a brief moment, Otonashi paused at that question. Did he?...

"Not that I know of."

"Huh." Akiyama shifted in his seat. "Gee. You're acting really selflessly for a girl you barely know, if at all. If I didn't know any better, she was your long-lost love or something..."

However, Otonashi didn't reply to that. Instead, there was an odd silence inside the ambulance. This prompted Akiyama to break the silence in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Well, you want me to wait here or something?"

"No," Otonashi replied stiffly. "No, you get out of here. Alert the police or something."

"Huh? But-"

"I don't want you to get into trouble because of me. If I can't find who I'm looking for there, I'll just find another lead."

Without further ado, Otonashi got out of the ambulance, ignoring the surprised and confused looks of pedestrians nearby. He almost forgot that his head was still bandaged and bloodied, and he still felt a little disoriented. But it was a good thing he had his gun hidden underneath his green waistcoat.

Otonashi began walking briskly towards the Hashimoto Communications building. As he did, he began to think.

_"Okay. So, it's pretty clear that I've been reincarnated into someone else after moving on. That's the only explanation. But, for some reason, I'm back. I'm living in the body of my reincarnated self. Which, I'm pretty sure, is something that shouldn't be happening naturally. Iwasawa, Noda, and the Girls Dead Monster are also reincarnated, and we...or our reincarnated selves...are all familiar with each other, but they don't remember a thing about the Afterlife, or the SSS._

_"The SSS. Yuri... Hinata... Yui... Naoi... Are they all reincarnated too? Do any of them remember their time in the Afterlife?"_

A distant but lovely memory of silver hair and wings flashed across Otonashi's mind. The redhead pursed his lips as he began to consider the most unthinkable.

_"Is... Is it possible, then?... Is it possible that-"_

** _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_ **

Otonashi stopped in his tracks and mentally cursed. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't realize he had walked straight into the building and across the metal detector.

Within seconds, the redheaded teenager was surrounded by a dozen or so men clad from head to toe in tactical gear. They all aimed rifles at his head; some of them were recognizable models, but others were of a futuristic design. Otonashi could see that the rifles were equipped with lasers, which were all likely congregated on the center of his forehead.

"Who the hell are you?!" barked one of the men. "Identify yourself!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Otonashi replied apologetically, all the while mentally berating himself for not thinking of a plan. "I-I must've gone to the wrong building-"

"You're lying! Whatever you have on you, take it out, put it on the ground, and slide it towards us!"

Beads of sweat broke out on Otonashi's forehead. He didn't want to get shot for not complying, but he also didn't want to lose his gun. After all, he didn't know what exactly he was facing.

"I'm not gonna repeat myself!" the same man barked. "I'm gonna count to three! If you haven't shown us what you've got, we're pumping you with lead! ONE!"

Otonashi began to sweat more profusely. He really didn't expect this to happen, but he should've seen it coming, given the paramedic's remarks about the cult.

"TWO!"

The redhead prepared to speak.

"TH-"

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!"

The group of tactical gear-clad men parted, revealing a large man who was wearing a suit. He had smooth, combed black hair and dark-brown eyes, while his body was very muscular and well-developed, something obvious even in spite of the formal suit he was wearing. In addition to the suit, he was wearing a pair of rectangular, frame-less glasses that gave him an air of superior intellect. However, Otonashi felt disturbed by the man's presence, as if he was a fox among sheep.

"Arata Takahashi," the man greeted.

Otonashi blinked in confusion. "Y..._Yes_?..."

The man grinned. "Strange. You're not so enthusiastic around me this time...but I suppose it'd be improper if that were a habit. I admire your newfound respect of etiquette."

"Hashimoto-sama," said the tactical gear-clad leader, "this boy triggered the metal detector-"

"It's alright. I know this boy. He would never hurt a fly." He then delivered a scarily calm glare to his security detail. "Stand down."

"Y-Yes, sir..."

The men immediately dispersed and left the main lobby. At that moment, Otonashi realized he and the man in the suit were the only people left in the room.

* * *

**On the way to Chiyoda Hospital**

As Igarashi expected, he received quite the admonishment from his superiors for his recent failures, on the phone while he was driving no less. In fact, he was surprised that they allowed him to stay on the case, though he had a feeling that would change by the end of the day, given the chaos going on right now. First, Chouko Hashimoto's disappearance, then Arata Takahashi's assault. He immediately called for a full 24/7 security detail on the Nishimura household, and of course, he was watching over Hasumi Itagaki and her friends now.

"Igarashi-san?" Saori called from the backseat. "Don't you have a bigger police car than this?"

"Yeah, I'm suffocating over here!" exclaimed Hitomi.

"Oh, don't worry about me, girls," Noriya said, and Igarashi could imagine the most unpleasant grin on the boy's face. "I'm fine from where I'm sitting."

"PERVERT!" Masako shrieked.

Igarashi exhaled sharply, but otherwise ignored the four teenagers. At the corner of his eye, he could see Hasumi shaking her head in disapproval, and he smiled a little. Hasumi's demeanor was perfect in a police department setting...

His cellphone, mounted on the car dashboard, suddenly started ringing. Recognizing the number, Igarashi answered the call.

"Fukuyama?"

"Igarashi!"

The sergeant's face paled as he recognized the tone of his coworker's voice.

"What happened?!" he asked sternly.

"Th-The Mitaka safe-house got attacked!"

"Oh, my God..." Hasumi breathed out, while the backseat became eerily quiet.

"Please don't tell me-" began Igarashi.

"The security detail, they're all dead! And Hashimoto-sama, he-he's gone!"

"Oh, my God!" Hasumi exclaimed. "Chouko!"

However, Noriya asked, "Mitaka safe-house? What Mitaka safe-house?"

At that moment, Igarashi's eyes narrowed, and he cursed under his breath. He had considered the possibility for a brief moment, but he never looked into it because Chouko's sudden disappearance took priority. But the attack at the Reversible Destiny Lofts was enough confirmation for his suspicions.

"And that's not all, Igarashi!" Fukuyama exclaimed.

Igarashi's eyes narrowed even more, as he activated the police sirens on his vehicle. "Why? What happened?"

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters**

"Y-_You're_ Hashimoto?" asked Otonashi.

"Yes. I am Sadahiro Hashimoto." Sadahiro then blinked in surprise. "You sound like you do not know me, Takahashi."

_"I _know _this guy?"_ Otonashi thought in surprise. But he knew that he wouldn't get answers if he were honest, so he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and replied, "I-I'm so sorry. I was just, uh, pulling your leg."

Sadahiro frowned in displeasure. "It seems your time under my wing hasn't educated you _enough_ about etiquette." Then, he shrugged nonchalantly. "But, no matter. Come with me. We've got a lot to talk about."

Sadahiro began walking towards the nearby bay of elevators. Otonashi stood there for a moment, unsure over whether he should follow. But this man certainly seemed friendly, and he was the father of the girl he was looking for, if the sergeant's statements were accurate...

...

Wait a minute...

"Hold it right there," he snarled, aiming his gun at Sadahiro.

The businessman stopped cold in his tracks, but he replied calmly, "Holding me at gunpoint, Arata Takahashi?"

"You don't act like a father whose daughter mysteriously disappeared. I wouldn't be surprised if _you're_ the one pulling _my_ leg and pretending to be Sadahiro Hashimoto."

"HA! You jest. It is I, Sadahiro Hashimoto." Sadahiro raised his hands and turned around to face Otonashi. "I can show you proof, but that would be most imprudent."

"I think I can deal with imprudence," Otonashi spat. "Spill it!"

Sadahiro smirked. "It seems like you require some..._reeducation_ on business."

Realizing what was truly happening, Otonashi twirled around and fired. However, his attacker had already slapped his arms away, so the bullet missed. Otonashi heard it ricochet off somewhere and shatter a window. Then, his attacker swung at him with something that glinted in the light, and though Otonashi moved out of the way, he felt it slashing at his shoulder.

"ARGH!"

Otonashi clutched his bleeding shoulder, feeling the intense burning, stinging sensation spreading throughout his arm. As he did, he heard a maniacal giggle, followed by another inhuman grunt.

"YARRRGH!"

His attacker charged at him again, his long knife ready. Otonashi tried to aim his gun with one arm, but didn't have enough time to steady himself and fire. The knife-wielding assailant tackled him to the ground, fortunately not being able to stab him, but Otonashi lost his grip on the gun, and he heard it skittering across the floor. All that was left now were his bare hands.

Without much time to think, Otonashi latched one hand on the attacker's face, just as he started swinging the knife down at him. The redheaded boy was forced to use his arm to block the stabs, but wound up suffering a few gashes all over his hand and forearm.

"**FUCK!**" Otonashi screamed in pain, as the attacker continued stabbing at his chest, only to cut his forearm over and over again. "FUCK, FUCK!"

As a last resort, he toppled the assailant's other arm, which he was using to support himself over Otonashi. The person fell, but Otonashi failed to account for the knife; with their remaining strength, the attacker managed to sink the blade into his shoulder.

**"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"** roared Otonashi.

"Heh heh heh..." giggled the attacker. "I told ya. I, Fuyuhiko Ezakiya, never stop when it comes to seeking blood."

To his horror, Otonashi recognized the voice.

"Fu..." he struggled to say, through the fog of pain. "F-Fuji... _Fujimaki_?..."

...

"_What_?..."

The redheaded teenage boy scrambled away, the knife still embedded in his shoulder. He then stared at the one who had been stabbing at him: he was a teenage boy with black hair that fell over his beady black eyes, casting them in shadow, and blood was streaked across his plain tan T-shirt and dripping onto his torn blue jeans. However, through all of the blood and madness, Otonashi could recognize him.

It was Fujimaki.

"Fujimaki..." Otonashi groaned, as his vision began to blur from all the pain. "Not... Not you..._too_..."

At the corner of his eye, he saw someone approach him, followed by a painful blow to his forehead, and then...he knew no more.

* * *

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLOT TWISTS EVERYWHERE! (Well, mostly in the end, but still.)
> 
> In case all of this flew over your head, Sadahiro Hashimoto is not what he seems, and Fuyuhiko Ezakiya, the insane cultist wannabe who's menaced Otonashi/Takahashi and friends before, is none other than the shirasaya-wielding swimming flunkie of a delinquent, Fujimaki! And let's not forget that our beloved protagonist Otonashi is back in a big way! (Even though he got wrecked a lot in this chapter.)
> 
> You may be wondering about these plot twists. Well, I've had the stories of Sadahiro and Fujimaki/Fuyuhiko planned from the very beginning, but I've been providing clues and foreshadowing in just about every chapter they've been featured in. If you guys didn't seem the Fujimaki part coming, especially, well, I will have to point you to the description I gave on him in Chapter 9: "beady black eyes". Guess which character in "Angel Beats!" also had beady eyes?
> 
> I love kicking things up a notch.
> 
> Also, I just wanted to let you guys know that this chapter featured a cameo of a character from another anime, not "Angel Beats!". Can any of you guess who that character is and which anime he's from? And in case you're wondering, no, I'm not implying that this fic will be a crossover between "Angel Beats!" and the other anime.
> 
> And for the record, I do not own the other anime that I subtly referenced in this chapter. All rights of ownership go to the original creator and producing studio.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this April Fool's joke of a chapter! XP TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	18. Disappearing As We Know It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader be warned, this officially surpasses Chapter 6 as the longest chapter I will ever write for this fic so far. A LOT of plot progression happens in this one, obviously, so be prepared for any potential info-dumps.
> 
> ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 17: DISAPPEARING AS WE KNOW IT**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

Takeyama -_ Touya Hamada_

Fujimaki - _Fuyuhiko Ezakiya_

* * *

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

* * *

**Nishimura Household  
Nishitōkyō, Japan**

Tamika sighed sadly and watched closely from her bedroom window as officers, clad from head to toe in tactical gear, patrolled her backyard. Some were moving about, conversing with each other or looking attentively at detection radar, while others were hidden in the bushes, equipped with sniper rifles. Speaking of which, every officer she saw was armed with at least one large firearm, and God knew if there were any smaller backups on their persons. Tamika was never one for firearms; it didn't help that Japan became more lenient on its gun laws due to the advent of the war a few years back.

Tamika sighed again and collapsed onto her bed, which let out a loud creak as soon as her body collided with the mattress. She immediately heard the officers in the backyard shouting in panic and worry, and realized she misled them into thinking there was danger.

As quickly as she could, the girl got back up, slammed her window pane open, stuck her head out, and called to the officers, "I'm fine, I'm fine! I just fell onto the bed!"

"Are you sure?!" one officer called back. "What's the safety word?!"

"Safety word?" Tamika squeaked, her eyes bulging in disbelief. "You didn't tell me any safety word!"

The officer turned to his colleagues and said calmly, "It's all clear, guys. False alarm."

With a sigh of annoyance, Tamika shut her window and glanced towards her bedside, where her prized shinai lay. She was still upset that she couldn't go to kendo practice. Of course, she went to multiple kendo practice events before, but this upcoming one was very important to her. She was going to learn everything about this year's school kendo championship over there, particularly the other competitors. If she went into the championship unprepared, then she would be a source of embarrassment in her middle school.

** _"But it's just like what Mom always said. We have to think about the bigger picture. This time, the bigger picture is all about safety."_ **

_"I know I have to think about the bigger picture, Onee-chan,"_ Tamika thought glumly, _"but what will happen once the threat has passed? I will be facing humiliation from my classmates! I will be ostracized by my peers! How embarrassing will that be?! There's no way the cult will come after me when I have kendo practice, right?..."_

Tamika sighed yet again, picked up her shinai, unsheathed it, and began practicing and perfecting her technique inside her bedroom. But a few minutes passed, and Tamika did not feel fulfilled by this self-made brand of practice, not at all. If anything, she was getting even more bored by the minute. She couldn't leave the house under any circumstance, not even to buy groceries from the market a few blocks down!

"Ahhhhh, this SUCKS!" Tamika shouted out in exasperation.

She collapsed on her bed again in frustration, only to hear the officers in the backyard panic once again. She quickly got back up, slammed her window open, and yelled out furiously "FALSE ALARM, YOU DIMWITS!" before closing the window again. The girl then began pacing the room in impatience, stopping short as soon as she saw someone leaning against the doorway.

"Onee-chan?..." she asked.

But it wasn't Kimiko.

"It's total Boresville, isn't it?" Naomi asked coolly.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Onee-chan," Tamika replied, looking away in embarrassment.

"Oh, I can't tell, little sis. This whole room _stinks_ of boredom."

"I'm not bored," the middle-school student said defiantly.

She sat back down on her bed, calmly this time so the police wouldn't misconstrue the happenings in her bedroom for a third time, and began fiddling with her shinai. But she still could sense Naomi's presence, even though she had her back facing the doorway.

"I know you want to go to that kendo practice of yours," Naomi said in a know-it-all tone. She pretended to be more interested in cleaning the inside of her fingernails than her younger sister. "I know how important it is to you."

"But you heard Kimiko-oneechan. There's a lot of dangerous people out there who wanna kill us."

"No, they wanna kill _Onee-chan_. Not us. And I doubt they know where we live."

Tamika became tense. "What're you getting at?..."

Naomi looked at her younger sister. "Come on, Tami-chan, I can't let my cute little sis become the laughingstock of her school."

Tamika laughed dryly. "Tami-chan," she repeated. "I haven't heard you calling me that since..."

Her voice trailed off, and a tense awkwardness suddenly filled the atmosphere, hanging over both girls like a dark storm-cloud. Finally, a minute of silence was broken by Tamika.

"I'm not gonna sneak out, if that's what you're getting at. I absolutely will not."

"Why not?" Naomi asked. "I thought you wanted to go to that kendo practice so badly?"

"But Onee-chan-"

"Oh, Onee-chan this, Onee-chan that! _Screw_ Onee-chan!"

Tamika twirled her head around, looking at Naomi over her shoulder.

"Naomi-neechan, how could you say that?!" she exclaimed.

"She thinks she can control every aspect of our lives, order us around, tell us what we should or shouldn't do! She doesn't have any regard about our own happiness! She doesn't truly understand us! She thinks she's filling Mom's shoes but guess what? She's doing a fucking crappy job at it! Look at us!"

"I think Onee-chan's doing fine, being the head woman of the household," Tamika replied angrily. "And I don't think Onee-chan is trying to fill Mom's shoes."

"Then what the hell does she think she's doing?!"

"Trying the best she can to take care of us. Just like Mom would've wanted."

...

"Well she's doing a crappy job at it." Naomi stuck up her chin and turned her back on her sister, making it look as if she was about to leave. However, she remained in her position. "Remember when we were younger, when Mom was still around? When little Kaisei was still a baby?"

"What about it?"

"The three of us wanted to go see the meteor shower, but they said it was gonna happen very late at night, and we had school tomorrow. No matter how much we begged them, Mom and Dad wanted us to have a good night's sleep and be ready for school. You and I listened to them. Grudgingly so, but listen we did. But guess who wouldn't have any of that crap?"

Tamika smiled fondly. "Kimiko-neechan."

"Right. She woke us up in the middle of the night and convinced us to go see the meteor shower anyway. We sneaked out of the house and went to the park a few blocks down, just in time to see it." Naomi looked up at the ceiling, imagining the meteors streaking across the clear, star-dotted sky within split-seconds of one another. "It was the most beautiful thing we ever saw."

"It sure was..."

"Then we returned home but got caught by Mom and Dad. Kimiko took full responsibility for everything, and got the worst timeout any parent could give. But we were all glad to have risked it."

"Naomi-neechan," Tamika said, the smile now gone from her face, "there's a big difference between what happened years back and what's happening now. Back then, there was no murderous cult out for blood. _Our_ blood."

"No, it's _her_ blood they're after. Not ours. Not Dad's. Not Kaisei-chan's."

"But still-"

"They don't even know we're related to her! We're not the ones who were unlucky enough to see them in action and pay the price for it; _she_ is!" Naomi looked over her shoulder to look at Tamika. "And goddamn it, Tamika-chan, the old Kimiko wouldn't have cared anyway! She would've spat in their faces, and to hell with the consequences! She would've been fun and daring."

There was a brief silence again, followed by Tamika's question.

"So...is _that_ why you don't get along well with Onee-chan anymore?..."

Naomi pursed her lips and looked away. "Well...it...it's part of it."

"Then what's the rest of the problem?"

"Why the hell do you want to know?!"

"Because I'm your sister too, and I want the both of you to get along again! Just like the old times!"

Naomi whispered something that Tamika couldn't hear. Then, she said aloud, "Maybe we should try and remind Kimiko of the old times, then, because I doubt she'll listen to what we have to say now. We should probably give her a push."

"A push?..."

"And we can also get you to your kendo practice on time," Naomi continued, as if he didn't hear her younger sister. "It's a win-win situation."

"With people like those cultists running around," said Tamika sardonically, "it's more of a _lose-lose_ situation..."

"You need to think more positively, Tamika-chan."

"Yeah, like you do, Onee-chan?"

Naomi proceeded to leave the bedroom, and Tamika could imagine the triumphant, knowing smirk forming on her older sister's face.

"Well, I love to live dangerously," she said. "Do you, Tamika-chan?"

Before Tamika could respond, Naomi was already gone. This left the middle-school student with just her thoughts to mull over.

_"Naomi-neechan has a point..."_ she thought. _"I don't think the cultists know about_ us_ specifically__...__ But...shouldn't we be prioritizing our safety? Isn't there no harm in being safe?..."_

* * *

**Unknown location**

"Wake up, Chouko. Wake up."

Chouko's eyelids fluttered open, and the first things she saw were silver feathers lying on the soil. Then, she quickly sat up and realized that she was back in that mysterious field of sunflowers. However, the sky was no longer clear, the blue having been drowned out by a gray storm-cloud that loomed over the field, casting it in shadow. She stood up, dusted her clothes to clear it of any dirt and grime, and strained her mind to remember why she was back here.

It came back to her only in flashes and images. She and Takahashi were ambushed by someone...no, multiple people... Takahashi tried his damned hardest to fight back, but they knocked him out cold... She must've been knocked out as well, because it was a blank afterward.

"Takahashi..." whispered Chouko, the image of the smiling, gentle redhead flashing across her memory. All disdain for the boy was long gone now, instead replaced with concern for his well-being. He tried so hard, so valiantly to ensure her safety, despite how their relationship started out, and yet, he didn't seem to succeed as far as she could remember.

"He truly is one of a kind, isn't he?" a voice asked.

Chouko twirled around with a surprised yelp, and saw Kanade standing there. The wings were conspicuously absent, however, and Chouko couldn't help but wonder, for a moment, if that was why so many feathers were lying on the ground. But she quickly pushed that thought aside and grabbed Kanade's hands in desperation.

"Kanade, please!" she exclaimed. "Something's happened!"

"I noticed," Kanade replied, using a voice that was so simple and calm that Chouko wondered if she truly noticed at all.

"Takahashi..." Chouko remembered her discussion with Harumi. "O-Or Otonashi-"

"Believe me, I know as little as you do," the fellow silver-haired girl replied. She let go of Chouko's hands and looked up at the sky with a solemn expression. "This is a terrible situation indeed. And I still do not know if I have the power to..."

Her voice trailed off, prompting Chouko to ask, "What? You don't have the power to...what?"

"It's complicated."

"I just learned that I'm you reincarnated. I think I can handle another revelation."

"This one's even more complex. See, you are obviously now aware of me, and how we are connected by these incomprehensible strings of fate. But the puzzling part is why I am still here. Why our memories, our lives...our _hearts_ are overlapping. It is metaphysically impossible, but then again, we barely have an idea on what constitutes _there_. Existence, as we know it." Kanade directed her gaze back to Chouko, who looked extremely confused; she couldn't help but smile in adoration of her befuddlement. "My apologies. I'll get to the point. See, I believe I figured some of it out, just before you came here."

"You figured what out?"

"That this whole place is some sort of manifestation of my memory, which overlaps with yours, as we both know. This can only mean there is a part of your brain, deep inside somewhere, that still contains my memories, my knowledge about who I am. Perhaps, during my reincarnation, something in the process went wrong, and that small part of me got transferred into your consciousness, untouched and unfiltered. It's like a small typo in a newspaper; hardly anyone would notice it, even those who wrote it or are distributing it or are even reading it."

"What's a newspaper?" Chouko asked, and Kanade chuckled before continuing.

"But since it's so small and easy to overlook, this error isn't something that could build itself up to the magnitude we are experiencing now. No, that sort of thing would need a stimulus. A really big one. Something that would reactivate my memories and cause them to merge with yours."

"A stimulus?..."

Immediately, Chouko's memory flashed back to the first time she met Takahashi, back in her father's building. That was the moment when everything changed.

"I know what you're thinking, Chouko," Kanade suddenly said. "Remember, we are one, after all."

"So, do you think-"

"Perhaps. But another interesting is... Well, first of all, I need you to forgive me for confessing, but I've been searching around in your memories every time you weren't here-" At that revelation, Chouko let out a horrified squeak and clutched the sides of her head. "And there's a lot of strange coincidences."

"Strange coincidences?" Chouko lowered her hands. "What coincidences?"

"First off, you're friends with Naoi."

"Naoi? Who's Naoi?"

"That personal servant of yours, Fuuta Ukiyo. He's the reincarnation of someone I knew in the Afterlife, Ayato Naoi."

"_Fuuta_?!" Chouko exclaimed. "_He's_ also the reincarnated form of someone else?!"

"Yes. And so are your other friends. Kimiko Nishimura. Hasumi Itagaki. Noriya Noguchi. Masako Watanabe. Hitomi Saito and Saori Inoue. And obviously Takahashi. They're all people I once knew, reincarnated in your time."

Chouko's eyes were bulging. "H-H-_How_?! That can't be _possible_?! All of these people in my life?! Wh-Who else?!"

"That's all I know. But judging from what I've seen, there's going to be a lot more people out there who don't know they're someone else reincarnated." She chuckled and smiled in reminiscence. "I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Yuri got the SSS back together without even knowing it..."

"W-Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I was only working on fragments of memories that I could see, and besides, I thought they were just coincidences. But then, I realized there were simply _too many_ coincidences for all of this to be _just_ a coincidence." Kanade furrowed her brow in thought. "No, none of this was a coincidence. This is too big of a system error. This...This had to be done _on purpose_. But...But _why_? Why would the Angel Player do this? We all moved on..."

Chouko blinked in utter confusion and bewilderment. At this point, Kanade was talking to herself rather than her. But none of this mattered at the moment. There was still a situation to get out of!

"Oh, that's right!" Kanade exclaimed. "I was gonna explain my potential power to you so you and Takahashi could get out of the situation you're in."

"Uhhhhh...how'd you-" began Chouko.

The girl immediately deadpanned, "I can read your mind, remember?"

Chouko blushed in embarrassment at the thought of having her deepest and most private thoughts viewed so casually by someone else, like a book.

"Now," continued Kanade, "since you and I are one, there is a possibility I have some limited influence on your body."

"What?! You mean control-"

"No, not control your movements. As far as I know, you still have dominant control over your body. But I think I've transferred my powers over to you."

"Your..._powers_?"

"I had powers in the Afterlife. It's a long story. But there's a catch: I don't even know if I managed to retain them in this spot of your brain. Nothing might happen."

"Well, I'll have to try. I mean, _you_ have to try." Chouko shook her head, her mind spinning a little at the overload of otherworldly information. "I-I mean-"

"_We'll_ have to try."

Chouko blinked in surprise, but Kanade merely smiled at her. Feeling placated, she smiled back.

Then, all of a sudden, Kanade gasped, and Chouko was quick to realize why: her body was beginning to fade. She now resembled a transparent ghost.

"Wh-What's happening?!" Chouko cried.

"You must be regaining consciousness!"

"K-Kanade, help me!"

She quickly grabbed Chouko's right hand and held it tightly, as if it was enough to prevent her from leaving the strange realm of sunflowers. Both sets of golden eyes met, one worried, the other serious.

"Chouko, listen to me," Kanade said. "Remember the words Hand Sonic, Distortion, Delay, and Harmonics. Those are my powers. Hand Sonic's offensive, the rest are defensive. I don't have time to explain all of them in further detail. Just say either of those four words, and hopefully they'll be efficient-enough tools to guarantee your survival, and that of Takahashi. And don't stop for anyone other than Takahashi, okay?! Do you understand me, Chouko?"

Chouko nodded frantically, her mind struggling to retain all of the information she had just learned. "Y-Yeah! Hand Sonic, Distortion, Delay, Harmonics! Okay, got it!"

"And Chouko?"

"Yeah?"

At this point, Chouko could barely hear Kanade speak as she was close to leaving this realm. But she watched her lips move, and immediately deduced what her doppelganger was saying.

_"Thank you. Thank you for being so understanding."_

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters  
Tokyo, Japan**

"Wake up, Chouko."

The stern, barking voice pulled Chouko back to consciousness. Her vision was blurry at first, but as it adjusted, the silver-haired girl realized she was sitting in some sort of storage room. There were a number of metal crates around her, boasting labels that she couldn't exactly understand, even though they were all written in Japanese. There was also a small pool of blood nearby. But Chouko immediately assumed it wasn't hers, since she didn't feel any searing pain anywhere on her body, and the blood looked dry.

She tried to move her arms, but their movement was restricted completely to her back. She tried to look behind her, but she didn't have to be a genius to deduce that her wrists were tied together with something. She then tried pulling her arms away from each other, but whatever was holding them together was made of a strong, sturdy substance.

"_**Remember the words Hand Sonic, Distortion, Delay, and Harmonics. Those are my powers. Hand Sonic's offensive, the rest are defensive."**_

"_Okay,"_ Chouko thought calmly. _"Okay. Hand Sonic, Distortion, Delay, and Harmonics. Let's see... How about we try-"_

Before she could settle on a good decision, Chouko heard a door open. Soon enough, about a dozen men entered the room, escorting two other people whose wrists were restrained by zip-ties, and whose heads were covered by burlap sacks. Chouko could hear terrified moaning and breathing coming from within those burlap sacks. But any concern for those two was immediately overwhelmed by horror: she recognized the clothes her captors were wearing.

"YOU!" she screamed. "You're all with that _cult_!"

"Yes," said the leader of the group, a man wearing a hooded golden robe with the necklace of a dead rabbit hanging from his neck. "Yes, we are. My, you are quite a perceptive little girl, Chouko Hashimoto."

Chouko gritted her teeth, and surveyed her captors. In addition to their ancient-looking robes, which were of different colors, they were also wielding a variety of..._firearms_? She didn't have much knowledge on the topic of guns, but she did know there were mostly assault rifles in the cult's arsenal, and some sniper rifles. She could also see the outlines of pistols tucked underneath the robes of some of the cultists. The corner of her eye caught the metal crates again, and she wondered if that was how the cultists were acquiring their weaponry.

"Let me go this instant!" she shouted, not caring if her captors were armed. "And those two as well!" She gestured to the two restrained hostages. "Release us all! The Tokyo police are looking for me as we speak, and I'd say things would end better for you all if you do what I say!"

"And with a demanding demeanor and a temper to boot," continued the cult leader, acting as if she hadn't made that threatening demand and that they were instead engaged in a friendly conversation. "You really are your father's daughter."

Chouko growled out, "Leave my father out of this!"

The hooded man (the only cultist who wasn't armed) grinned nastily and knelt down, so that his face could be at an even level with Chouko's. He lifted a hand, placed his index finger directly on her neck, and began tracing the tip upward to the girl's neck. Chouko shivered in revulsion and loathing.

"And why should I, my dear?" he asked in response, just as the cultist's finger finally settled on Chouko's chin. "Your father's got everything to do with this whole charade."

"He insulted you and your cronies, and you all react so pathetically! Like children having temper tantrums!"

She seemed to have touched a nerve. "Ah, so we reacted like children would? Hm? Tell me, little Chouko, what did we do when we heard your precious daddy make his little statement?"

When Chouko didn't answer that question, he suddenly reached into his robe and pulled out a large revolver. Though she didn't have any knowledge about specific gun models, something in Chouko's mind clicked, and she mentally identified the gun as a .44 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 29. She didn't know how she came to that conclusion so quickly, but she assumed it had something to do with Kanade's influence on her mind.

"HUH?!" roared the cultist suddenly, a few flecks of spit flying on her face. "Tell me! What. Did. We. _Do_?!"

Chouko merely stared back at the man, angry and defiant. She used her shoulders to wipe her cheeks of some of the spit that hand landed on her, then gave the cultist a highly reproachful look.

"You attacked my home," she spat in response. "You burned it down. You...You took my mother..." Upon remembering her mother, who still had yet to be found by police, she quickly added, angrily, "Where's my mother?! Do you have her?! Tell me!" Then, Chouko remembered the dried pool of blood. "Did...Did you-"

"You ask too many questions, girl," the cultist interrupted. Then, he smirked. "And I thought you were supposed to be quiet and reserved, a bookworm who cares for nothing more than knowledge in inheriting and running the family business." He chuckled dryly. "I may not be an expert in parenting, but even I can tell when a parent cannot understand his child well. Or her child."

"My father is the greatest parent there is!" Chouko hollered furiously. "And if you're planning on using me as bait, well, I am afraid my father is not someone whose hand can be forced so easily!"

At that moment, the two hostages' moaning escalated into muffled cries. Apparently, they realized her presence and were trying to warn her of something.

However, the hooded man smirked, looking thoroughly pleased at Chouko's outburst. He stood back up.

"I'm afraid that's where you're wrong, girl," he said tauntingly.

Chouko blinked in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

The man's smirk widened, and he raised his hand again. But this time, instead of tracing Chouko's chin for a second time, he brought his thumb and middle finger together, and snapped them.

A few seconds later, the door opened again, and Chouko heard another set of footsteps approaching her position. Then, the newcomer stepped past the other cultists, who parted to make way for him, and as soon as she saw his face, her golden eyes widened in horror and disbelief.

"No," she breathed out. "No! It...It _can't_ be..."

"Oh, believe me, Chouko, it is true."

Sadahiro Hashimoto towered over his daughter, wearing a set of golden robes of his own. Chouko immediately felt her entire world crumbling all around her.

"F...Fa-_Father_... You're... You're with _them_?"

* * *

**Nishimura Household  
Nishitōkyō, Japan**

Downstairs, Kimiko paced back and forth, indulged in her own impatience. Right in front of her was the phone, which was practically _begging_ her to use it, use it to call someone in the Global Awareness Club. She didn't care who; she just needed to call someone and tell them that any plans for today's meeting would be scrapped. She _needed_ to tell someone that. Naotatsu. Yuuji. Ginga. Yumie. Otonashi...

Kimiko blinked in surprise. _"Otonashi?"_ she thought. _"Why'd I just think of that name? I was thinking about Takahashi! That was weird..."_ Her sea-green eyes softened at the memory of the redheaded teenage boy that had been getting the whole of her attention recently. _"_Takahashi_..."_

Then, she shook her head to clear her head. Every time she thought of that redhead, the room suddenly got hot. It was definitely not the weather that was causing that. Maybe the very name was cursed. Yeah, that was probably it! There was _no freaking way_ the room got hot because she had...had..._had_...

With a moan of annoyance, Kimiko clutched her forehead as memories of the train ride over to Mitaka came back to her. The two of them had been _so close_ to one another on that train, she had to admire Takahashi's strong self-restraint.

Kimiko lowered her hands and sighed deeply. She just couldn't understand these feelings that she had... Though she could tell one of her club members would yell at her and would never let the topic go, her apparently being so oblivious. Most likely Naotatsu. Yeah, she could imagine that happening.

_"But...I don't _like _Takahashi like that!"_ she continued to think. _"I mean, he likes Hasumi-san! That's pretty much the same thing that's being taken...right?..."_

She suddenly heard a commotion happening outside her house. Her sea-green eyes widening, Kimiko dashed towards the front door and looked out of the window beside it; a group of police officers were gathering around something...or _someone_. Their rifles were raised, she could see their laser sights aiming at one particular object that she couldn't distinguish at the moment, and the leader was barking questions loudly.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?! IDENTIFY YOURSELF AT ONCE! DON'T MAKE ME ASK YOU AGAIN!"

"Please!" a familiar voice replied. "I just wanna see Kimmie!"

_"Oh, my God,"_ Kimiko thought in exasperation.

The magenta-haired girl opened the front door with such force that it sounded as if she kicked it open. Her loud entrance attracted the attention of a couple of the officers, quickly followed by the rest when she stormed out from the porch and into the front yard.

"N-Ni-Nishimura-san!" one of the officers exclaimed, surprised at her sudden appearance. "G-Get back in the house-"

"No!" Kimiko snapped. "All of you, put down your guns! I know this guy!"

The officers parted, revealing none other than Naotatsu Yunokawa. To Kimiko's surprise, there was someone else standing behind him: a clearly frightened Yumie Matsushina.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?!" Kimiko yelled, giving Naotatsu an annoyed look she reserved specifically for him.

"Well, I thought I'd check in on you, that's all!" replied Naotatsu, his hands slightly raised to indicate his innocence. "I mean, I knew you guys were under police protection, but I didn't expect it to be _that_ big-"

"Well, that's 'cause the situation's gotten worse."

"_Worse_? Well, uh...that can't be good. How worse?"

"A whole lot worse. I'm not even allowed to leave the house-"

"An order that you _clearly_ disregarded just seconds ago," the officer interrupted with an annoyed snarl. "Now, Nishimura-san, I need you to get back inside your house or-"

"Or what?" The magenta-haired teenager gave the officer a look that made his and the other officers' blood run cold. "You know, any one of you could've killed my friends, people who I entrust my life with, people who I know for a _fact_ are not members of that cult!" Yumie blushed brightly at that comment, but Kimiko didn't notice. "Try and manhandle any of my friends like that again, and I'll make sure you regret it! And I'm not just talking about reporting you to superiors for killing innocent civilians!"

The officer sputtered complete gibberish, shocked that an endangered teenager he was protecting, such as Kimiko, was intimidating _him_ even more than his own boss. Some of the lower-ranked officers failed to suppress snickers, but were immediately silenced by their superior's piercing glare. Then, with a sigh of defeat, the first officer lowered his firearm.

"You have one minute to converse with them," he said. "Make it quick, and be sure that they've been sent on their way."

"Of course," Kimiko spat. She quickly remembered a project the Global Awareness Club did to raise awareness on abuses of authority conducted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, and her distaste of trigger-happy cops was renewed. Once the officers dispersed to their original positions, she turned back to Naotatsu and Yumie. "Look, if there are any more Global Awareness Club meetings scheduled in the near-future, they're gonna have to be put on hold."

"I can see why," replied Naotatsu dryly, observing two of the officers as they carelessly showed off their gun-wielding skills. "You sure you're gonna be okay here?"

"Hey, I've got half of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department protecting me. There's no need to worry."

"Heh. Yeah, right." The blue-haired boy smiled in amusement. "Ironic, huh? You're entrusting your life to the exact kind of people you'd hate with a passion."

"Believe me, it's hell. But the one in charge of this whole operation, Madoka Igarashi, he's okay. He hates the influence of power just like I do, at the very least."

"It's a good thing we've got at least _one_ good guy working in the police department." Naotatsu then looked at Yumie, who was still trembling after being held at gunpoint by a swarm of police officers. He playfully (and lightly) slapped the back of her pink-haired head, snapping her back to reality. "Hey, you got something to say to Kimmie?"

"Yumie's got something to say to me?" asked Kimiko, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"The club's trying to work on her social skills. I was planning on going alone, but we figured it'd be a great opportunity for her to have small talk with our fearless leader." Naotatsu surveyed the police officers again. "Clearly we had bad timing, but..."

"I-I-I-I h-h-ho-ho-hope y-you-you're s-s-s-sa-sa-_safe_..." Yumie stuttered out. Her hot-pink eyes were swimming with tears, and she had her clenched fists raised close to her chest in some sort of determined gesture. To Kimiko, Yumie was a bit _adorable_ when she was frightened, even though having poor social skills was no laughing matter.

"Good job, Yumie." Naotatsu proudly patted Yumie on the head, like a big brother would do to his little sister. She even cooed a little at his touch. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"I-I g-g-gue-guess..."

"Hey!" the leading officer suddenly shouted, attracting the attention of the trio of teenagers. "Your minute's up!"

"You're a few seconds off, man!" Naotatsu shouted back in defiance.

"I don't care! Tie up whatever loose ends you have and make your leave!"

Naotatsu rolled his eyes and looked back at Kimiko. "Well, I guess we're leaving. I'll call the others and tell them what's happened at your place."

Kimiko nodded approvingly. "Alright. Thank you, Naotatsu."

The blue-haired teenage boy saluted her jokingly. "My pleasure."

Then, before she could stop herself, Kimiko added, "And, Naotatsu, could you call Takahashi? I know he's under police protection too, but I just need you to check in on him. See if he's okay."

Naotatsu blinked. "Sure thing, Kimmie, but..._why_?"

Kimiko harrumphed haughtily. "A club leader's gotta be concerned about the well-being of her underlings! What's it to you?"

Suddenly, the boy's eye twinkled. "Ahhhhh... I see how it is..."

"I DON'T LIKE TAKAHASHI, YOU IDIOT!"

Kimiko's outburst drew all of the officers' glares, and one asked suspiciously, "Is there a problem?"

"No, officer," replied Naotatsu. "Just your typical teenage romance in the works." Blissfully ignoring Kimiko's seething look of hatred and lust for violence, he elbowed Yumie's shoulder, catching her attention yet again. "Come on, Yumie. How 'bout we get some ice cream?"

"_Really_?..." Yumie replied, her eyes now sparkling in wonder.

Still seething at Naotatsu's teasing, Kimiko nevertheless buried her feelings, chuckled as she watched Naotatsu and Yumie go, and waved goodbye to them. Once the two had gone a considerable distance away from her house, the magenta-haired girl turned around and went back to the front porch. As she did, she noticed something next to the plants growing near the porch. At first, she thought it was dried soil, but upon closer inspection...

"A tile?..."

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters  
Tokyo, Japan**

Words couldn't describe how Chouko felt the moment she saw her father, the one who raised her and conditioned her... The man who helped bring her into this world was now standing before her, in league with the ones holding her captive right now, the ones who have terrorized Japan for some time.

"F...Fa-_Father_... You're... You're with _them_?"

Sadahiro smiled affirmatively. "Yes, Chouko, I'm with them. I always have been. I was hoping to tell you later, but it looks like the marbles have been dropped already."

"My apologies, sir," the hooded man said, bowing his head.

"No excuse," Sadahiro replied coldly. Then, he raised an index finger and wagged it tauntingly at his daughter. "But I'm disappointed in you, my dear Chouko."

"You're disappointed in _ME_?!" shrieked Chouko. "What about yourself?! How could you do this, Father?! To me, to Mother, to everyone you've ever known, to everyone you served! How could you stoop to such a deplorable level?! How could you-"

"But my dear Chouko, it was a brilliant plan!"

"A brilliant plan? _A brilliant plan_?! You call _killing innocent people_ a brilliant PLAN?!"

"Chouko, let's consider this scenario. God appeared to you suddenly, and gave you the means to kill one hundred people, and ordered you to do so lest he kill one hundred _million_ in their place. Would you do it?"

"I would disavow God altogether," Chouko snarled harshly.

Sadahiro merely shook his head, tutted, and replied encouragingly, "But my dear Chouko, all of this is for the sake of our great country!" He cleared his throat and spoke with a calmer voice. "You see, after World War II, Japan had been left in such a humiliated state. Our image, our national identity was tarnished, disgraced, made perverse. Companies like mine have worked the media long and tirelessly in order to restore the people's hope for our country. But now, trust in us has fallen to an all-time low. Ratings have fallen as people indulge themselves further and further in the horrible graces of self-information and online socializing. Too much American interference has seeped into our culture. That is totally unacceptable. A strong, consistent national media to convey the message of Japanese pride is the only way to keep our country going.

"That was when I, and these fine, brilliant gentlemen here, came up with this grand plan."

Sadahiro gestured to the other cultists, who all looked sickeningly proud of themselves. At that moment, Chouko recognized the aura of great influence hanging over them.

"We had to restore the Japanese people's faith in real, reliable news," the businessman explained. "The strategies offered by my board of directors as of late have failed, thus I assembled a second, secretive board of directors, composed of like-minded men of social status. We all agreed that the best way to regain the trust of the people was to tap into a level of unforgiving extremeness, one that none of us had ever considered before. We all agreed to manipulate the people's perceptions of our country, and slowly but surely put them in a desperate state so as to ensure their continuing reliance on our government, our media, our businesses, our _country_.

"It did not take long when we finally settled on the idea of starting a criminal cult whose purpose was to terrorize Japan. If you remember your history, Chouko, Aum Shinrikyo put the country at a standstill back in the mid-90s. It was an atmosphere we wanted to emulate. It was all so perfect. Thus, we carefully constructed this ideology based on what we knew about religion, philosophy, and other concepts. We also made sure to perfect our modus operandi, to ensure that we were as bloodthirsty and unpredictable as possible so we could keep Japan on edge. Then, we started recruiting people, people who were lost and had nothing to hold on to in life. We recruited dozens and dozens to this cause. Once we had enough followers, we shaped them to our liking and had them do our bidding.

"As we predicted, the Japanese people are relying on us once again, to remind them of who they are, and what they stand for."

Once he was done with his explanation, Sadahiro smiled down at Chouko. But it was not a smile she saw him use during the few times she ever saw him smile. It was not a small, emotionless smile that gave one the feeling that he didn't mean it. This time, it was a _legitimate_ smile...one of childlike glee and satisfaction and hunger. It _terrified_ Chouko.

"Do you understand, Chouko?" he asked.

Chouko's skin had gone paler than it had ever gone in her life. Struggling to keep herself composed, she stuttered out, "Wh-Whe-Where d-do M-Mo-M-Mother and I f-fit in a-all o-of this?..."

"You two?" Sadahiro's horrifying smile became even more gleeful. "You two serve as the final nail of the coffin. The last motivating force for anyone still not convinced by this point. You two are my lambs, the ones who will propel the last of the Japanese people back to their flag!" When he saw that Chouko was still confused, he said, "I know it all sounds very, very confusing to you, Chouko. Your mother was confused too, when she heard my explanation. But she realized the true purpose of her life when she drew her last breath."

As soon as he said the last sentence, Chouko's eyes bulged out in horror, and she roared, **"YOU KILLED MOTHER?!"**

"I didn't," replied Sadahiro, his voice so childishly honest. "I was still stuck in that foolish apartment at the time. But I knew it was done. After all, sacrifices must be taken for our country."

At that moment, he noticed the tears streaking down Chouko's cheeks. He knelt down and ran his fingers across his daughter's cheeks, wiping them. She flinched and tried to back away, but she was already lying against a wall.

"Don't cry, Chouko. Just know that your mother has joined the long list of patriots who have died for the sake of your, my..._our_ flag. And soon...you will too... Your descendants will learn all about this glorious moment, and bask in their pride of you. I promise you..."

Chouko flicked her face away from her father's hand. **"YOU'RE INSANE!"** she screeched.

The two hostages let out muffled noises of agreement, but were silenced when cultists wrapped their arms around their necks in a threatening manner. As for Sadahiro, his smile turned into a vicious frown, and he slapped Chouko hard, causing her to fall over to her side on the ground.

"YOU SELFISH, UNGRATEFUL CHILD!" he hollered furiously, his voice echoing throughout the room. "I HAVE RAISED YOU SO HARD AND DILIGENTLY, PREPARING YOU FOR THIS GLORIOUS MOMENT! I EXPECTED YOU, OF **ALL PEOPLE**, TO UNDERSTAND! OUR COUNTRY IS ROTTING FROM WITHIN, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT IT IS QUESTION MY **MENTAL STATE**?! DO YOU KNOW WHO I **AM**?! _**I AM SADAHIRO HASHIMOTO**_!"

One of the hostages suddenly muttered something extremely bitter, which was muffled by his burlap sack. Sadahiro glared at him, a terrifying flame alive in his eyes.

"What did he say?" he asked, his voice lethally calm.

The cultist holding that hostage promptly lifted the burlap sack from his head, and Chouko's eyes widened in terror: the face of Fuuta Ukiyo looked back at her, bruised and bloodied.

"_Fuuta_?!" she uttered incredulously. Then, she remembered Kanade identifying Fuuta as a reincarnated friend of hers...

"Fuuta Ukiyo and his beloved mother here are our guests, my dear Chouko," Sadahiro said, smiling dangerously. "They are here, courtesy of our friends in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. But, as I am sure you're aware, Chouko, guests who disrespect their hosts to the greatest extent are not worthy of our hospitality."

Sadahiro snapped his fingers loudly, and the cultist roughly removed the duct tape that was covering Fuuta's mouth, causing the boy to wince. He took a moment to spit out some blood at the floor, then glared at Sadahiro with all of the hate in the world.

"So, tell me, what did you say, boy?" Sadahiro asked.

"I said that you've _gotta_ be fucking insane if you name yourself instead of saying you're her father."

The businessman's eyes widened, and he approached the teenage boy. Without warning, he punched Fuuta hard in the stomach, causing him to expel some more blood from his mouth.

"FUUTA!" screamed Chouko.

"I never got the chance to say how much I _despised_ you, boy," Sadahiro snarled, punching Fuuta again and causing Junna to cry. "You kept filling my daughter's head with all of these absurd and outlandish things." He punched the boy again. "It is all your fault she rejects the truth." He punched Fuuta yet again. "And now-" Another punch. "I shall show you-" Yet another punch. "A lesson-" Yet another one. "You'll never-" And another one. "FORGET."

He unsheathed a dagger from within his robes, approached Junna, and stabbed her in the side.

"**NOOOOOOOOO!**" Fuuta and Chouko both screamed. The cultist released the woman, and she fell to the ground, gagging. She tried to clutch her side as blood began to blossom all over her faded, torn clothes, but she couldn't due to her restrained arms.

As for Sadahiro, he looked extremely surprised about himself.

"Huh," he said nonchalantly. "That was my first kill..."

"Congratulations, boss," the hooded man said, patting his colleague on the shoulder. "We should probably have a drink to celebrate."

"Yes, yes, that's an excellent idea..." Sadahiro raised his bloodied dagger up in the air; fresh droplets fell to the ground, staining the ground in front of him. "Men! We shall drink to this momentous occasion, for all of Japan!"

"Drinks on me!" added the hooded man, causing the other cultists to cheer loudly.

It looked as if Sadahiro and the others had all forgotten about Chouko, Fuuta, and the dying Junna. They left with springs in their steps, with the last one out of the room closing the door behind them. As soon as they were gone, Fuuta knelt over his mother's fallen form, while Chouko crawled over to her.

"Mom!" Fuuta sobbed. "Mom, I'm so sorry!"

"Junna-san?" Chouko cried. "Junna-san! Please, s-say something!"

She desperately wanted to tear off the duct tape covering her former maid's mouth, but her hands were still restrained. Then, she remembered Kanade's advice, and closed her eyes.

"_Hand Sonic_..." she said calmly.

"What?" asked Fuuta.

To Chouko's surprise and relief, it worked: a silver blade materialized directly over her left hand, which easily broke the zip-ties off in the process. She examined the blade in greater detail; it was as silver as her and Kanade's hair.

"WHOA!" Fuuta shot up on his feet, totally bewildered at the sight of the weapon. "Wh-Where'd you learn how to do THAT?!"

"You'll never believe me if I told you," replied Chouko as she used the blade to cut the zip-ties restraining Fuuta. Then, she did the same to Junna and removed the duct tape from the woman's mouth. "Junna-san, Junna-san!"

"Chou...ko...chan..." rasped Junna.

"I'm here, Junna-san," Chouko replied, trying to hold back a sob. "I'm here."

"I'm...so sorry..." The maid coughed roughly, and a speck of blood flew out and landed on her shirt, staining it with a horrible scarlet. "I couldn't...protect...your mother... But...no matter...what delusional lies...Hashimoto said...she never...understood...a thing...they told her..."

"It's okay, Junna-san. There was nothing you could've done." Then, Chouko looked at Junna's fresh stab wound, and winced at the sight of blood leaking through the tear in her dress. "We-We have to get this treated-"

"I don't see any medical supplies around here," interrupted Fuuta. "What we have to do right now is get the hell outta here. But how the hell are we gonna escape?"

"Simple," replied Chouko, a determined look now adorning her face. "We walk out of here, wherever it is we are."

"And how the hell are we gonna do that when we don't even know where we are?"

"This thing..." Chouko showed Fuuta her sword. "This isn't the only thing I can do."

"What? There's _more_?" he asked incredulously.

"I've got defensive powers as well. If I use them correctly, we should be able to get out of here just fine."

Fuuta didn't look convinced. "Yeah. _If_ you use them correctly."

Then, he looked around at the metal crates and noticed one that was unlocked. Out of curiosity, he opened it...and his eyes widened in marvel. He reached his hands inside and pulled out a pair of pistols, which Chouko identified as 9mm Heckler & Koch USPs. All of a sudden, the image of Fuuta wielding those exact same pistols became a very welcoming and familiar image...

"Now _this_ is more like it," he said eagerly as he examined each gun in turn. He then stuffed the guns in his shirt pockets and grabbed extra magazines from the crate. He was now smirking slightly, feeling empowered by the boost of personal firepower. "I guess we'll get going, then."

"Hold on," replied Chouko. "We gotta find a way to bring your mom with us-"

"_No_," Junna said suddenly.

"_No_? What do you mean 'no'? We're getting you out of here, Junna-san. We're gonna get you to a hospital, and you're gonna make it-"

"I'll only slow you both down. Please, leave me! I don't think I'm gonna make it anyway..."

"Don't say that, Junna-san!" With that said, Chouko de-materialized her sword and tried to drag her former maid across the floor, but to little avail. "You're getting out of here with us, and you're gonna get treatment, and you're gonna make it-"

"No, Chouko-chan. It's too late for me. But it's not too late for you and Fuuta-kun-"

"Stop saying that, Mom!" shouted Fuuta as he joined Chouko in her efforts to drag his mother along. "I'm gonna carry you if I have to, and if you object any further, I-I'm gonna slap you!"

Junna chuckled; her voice was now faint. "My dear, dear boy... It's time for you...to let go..."

"LIKE HELL I'M GONNA LET YOU GO! YOU'RE MY MOM, GODDAMN IT!"

"But I'm dying. And it's my duty as a mother to watch over her children and ensure their survival..."

Chouko's heart broke at what Junna had said. For her entire life, she grew up not under the watchful eyes of her parents, but under those of the very maid who was now dying before her. It was Junna Ukiyo who taught her how to walk, how to properly take care of herself...who gave her baths as a little girl and was always waiting for her when she got out of school. It was never either of her parents...

"Junna-san," she said tearfully, "I...I've always viewed you as my second mother. But my real mother's now dead, and I'm not going to lose you too! So please, Junna-san, for my mother's sake, MOVE FOR ME!"

But the more Chouko and Fuuta tried to drag Junna along, the heavier her body seemed to get. Any movements Junna could make were weak and half-inspired, as if she was more content with sleeping than exerting any effort to move any part of her body. Finally, both teenagers became exhausted and collapsed to the floor.

"Oh, my dears," Junna whispered weakly. "You _have_ to let go of me. Save yourselves..."

Suddenly, the three heard a voice from outside the closed door; Chouko and Fuuta froze in their tracks.

"What's the problem?" one voice asked. "I thought I heard a code-red alert on the walkie-talkie."

"Apparently there's some sort of problem down at the main lobby," replied another voice.

"A problem?"

"Some redheaded kid's set off the metal detector."

"_Takahashi!"_ Chouko thought happily.

"A redheaded kid?"

"Yeah. They're sending that newbie down to take care of the problem."

"The newbie?" Fuuta whispered to Chouko in confusion.

"The newbie?" the first voice asked, unintentionally emulating Fuuta's own confusion. "Sounds like it's gonna be hell, cleaning up down there afterward. Isn't this joint gonna get any visitors today?"

"Relax, it's shut down and relocated its headquarters since the boss is supposed to be in witness protection and all that. Trust me, the only people meant to be here are us and the assets inside this very room."

"Yeah...On that topic now, don't you think hiding them in _there_ is a bad idea? I mean, that's our _armory_, for crying out loud!"

"Relax, they won't get into the crates."

"Guess again, dumbass," Fuuta snickered quietly as he carefully disengaged the safety of one of his guns.

"I don't know about this. Maybe we should check!"

Chouko and Fuuta's skins turned pale. But fortunately...

"Matsushina! Endo!" a third voice barked.

"S-Sir?!" the second voice replied.

"They want you two down at the main lobby. We got the kid."

"Oh, my God!" Chouko cried. "Takahashi!"

"CHOUKO!" screamed Fuuta in disbelief.

"Hey, did you hear that?!" exclaimed the first voice.

"Yeah," the third voice replied. "It came from the armory!"

"Should we check it out?" asked the second voice.

"That's what _I_ was gonna say!" the first voice cried.

"Really?"

"Y-Yeah, are you _deaf_?!"

"Shut the hell up and do it!" the third voice ordered.

"Well, I guess it's show-time," said Fuuta, his voice shaking while he watched the doorway attentively, a bead of sweat sliding down from his scalp to his chin. He then looked at the twin pistols he was holding with an air of familiarity, even though this was the first time he had ever held a gun, let alone two. "Don't fail me now, guys."

The door burst open loudly...

* * *

Outside the Hashimoto Communications headquarters, Igarashi pulled up next to the sidewalk in his patrol car, its sirens still blaring. The police sergeant quickly got out of the car, cellphone in hand, and looked up at the towering building.

_"I've always thought this place looked so suspicious, just because of the architectural design,"_ he thought bitterly. _"It was trying too hard to seem normal..."_

With that, Igarashi drew his service revolver and prepared to rush inside the building when he saw Hasumi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori get out of the car and prepare to follow him.

"Oh, no," he said in warning. "You kids are not going in there. You're staying here."

"Why not?!" exclaimed Hasumi. "According to your lady friend, Arata's ambulance was seen here!"

"So?" asked Masako.

"_So_ that means Arata is somewhere in there, hurt! And God knows what else is happening to him in there!"

"Just because he's your friend, Itagaki, doesn't mean you should be risking your neck to help me help him," Igarashi said. "I'm a trained professional; I can handle this. You five stay here and watch the car. When my friend arrives with backup, you tell them where I went." Then, Igarashi glared at Noriya with an obvious air of suspicion. "And don't you DARE steal the car for a joyride. You'll be charged with felony auto theft if you did."

"Point taken," Noriya replied dishonestly.

However, Igarashi ignored him and dashed into the building. Once the sergeant was gone, Hasumi prepared to run after him, but Masako noticed and stopped her best friend.

"Hasumi, what're you _doing_?!" Masako exasperated. "The guy told us to stay here!"

"I don't care what Igarashi-san says," Hasumi replied harshly. "Arata's still hurt, and if he really is in the clutches of that cult like Igarashi-san says, then I'm not gonna leave him out to dry!"

"Are you _crazy_, Hasumi?!" cried Saori. "You're gonna go _in there_?!"

"Unarmed?!" Hitomi exclaimed.

"For _Mr. Average_?!" squealed Masako in disbelief.

Hasumi frowned angrily, ashamed that her friends and band-mates weren't exactly compassionate towards someone she considered a friend, no matter how strange he seemed.

"YES," she spat. "I'm going in there for Arata, because he's my _friend_. And if you guys think dying to save a friend isn't worth it, then perhaps I need to reconsider how I make my friends."

Masako narrowed her eyes bitterly, while Saori and Hitomi both gasped in disbelief. Then, Hasumi glared at Noriya.

"What about you?!" she said. "You're not gonna help me, your _girlfriend_?"

Noriya hesitated, seemingly debating on what his answer should be. Finally, after a minute of silence, he shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" he replied nonchalantly. Then, he gave Hasumi a toothy grin. "I love breaking the rules anyway. If a cop tells me to stay put, then I say fuck it."

"_Thank you_. At least _someone_ in this group has guts besides me."

Masako narrowed her eyes even more at Hasumi's comment. "I can't believe you, Hasumi!" she cried. "First you decide to miss out on a concert, and now you decide to risk your life. _All of this_ for Mr. Average! Next thing I know, you're gonna dump Noriya and start going out with him! Isn't that right?!"

"Masako, shut up!"

However, it wasn't Hasumi who spoke that time. It was Hitomi.

"Y-Yo-You're always talking so p-poorly about Takahashi!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed, her eyes closed and her fists raised the entire time. "Al-Always! And-And I don't like it! I-I never did, never have, n-never will!"

"Hitomi-chan!" Saori cried in surprise, while Masako looked flabbergasted at Hitomi's outburst.

Hitomi ignored her and joined Hasumi's side. "I-I agree with H-Hasumi! If d-dying for your friend i-isn't w-worth it, th-then we d-don't deserve t-to be f-f-fr-fri-friends..."

Masako's jaw dropped open at Hitomi's open declaration, which Hasumi smirked at.

"Well, you heard it, guys," the pink-haired girl said. "If Hitomi agrees with me, then Saori-chan should agree as well. That leaves you all alone, Masako. So, what do you think now Arata now? Should we go in and save him? Or are we gonna stand out here, bickering and doing nothing like cowards?"

Masako and Saori looked at each other hesitantly, then back at Hasumi with looks of defeat.

* * *

Chouko and Fuuta watched as three cultists ran into the room. One was armed with a Bushmaster ACR assault rifle, another was carrying a Benelli M4 combat shotgun, and the third was wielding an Mk 14 EBR battle rifle. They froze for a split-second upon seeing the escaped captives, then...

"DUCK!" Fuuta screamed.

"KILL THEM!" screamed the cultist wielding the Bushmaster.

"NO, DON'T!" hollered the cultist holding the Mk 14.

However, it was too late: the other two cultists began firing their weapons at Chouko, Fuuta, and Junna. Chouko dragged Junna behind one metal crate unscathed, while Fuuta rolled the other way to another crate. They could hear the bullets striking the crates, but fortunately their metallic covering was strong enough to prevent the bullets from ripping through and hitting the people taking cover behind them.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE, HOLD YOUR FIRE, GODDAMN IT!" barked the cultist wielding the Mk 14, prompting the gunfire to stop. Chouko and Fuuta could hear the ejected shell casings still rolling around on the floor.

"But the hostages have escaped!" yelled the cultist holding the ACR.

"We're supposed to keep them alive for the sacrifice, you idiots!"

At that moment, Fuuta took advantage of the cultists' distraction to jump out from his cover and start firing on them. His hands jerked back and forth from the powerful recoil of the handguns, but Fuuta realized how surprisingly easy it was to aim. Two of the cultists (the one wielding the Mk 14 and the one wielding the ACR) were riddled by bullets and immediately killed, while the third cultist was downed after being shot in the shoulder and leg.

"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" the cultist cried out as he fell to the ground. He tried to aim his Benelli at Fuuta, but the teenager kicked the shotgun out of his hand and out of reach. "HEY! That's my shotgun!"

"You've got bigger things to worry about than your damn shotgun," Fuuta snarled as he roughly placed the barrel of one of his guns under the cultist's chin. "Where are we?! And how the hell do we get outta here?!"

"You're not gonna get anything outta me!" the cultist growled out between grunts and pants of pain. Then, he steadied his breathing and started chanting, "Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form..."

"Hey, hey, don't change the subject on me!"

"Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change..."

"Are you listening to me?!" Fuuta slapped the cultist violently, causing his hood to fall off and reveal a mat of dark-pink hair and hot-pink eyes. "Tell us how to get out of here!"

The man remained undeterred and continued to chant, "Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy... Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life... And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits."

"Hey, shut-" began Fuuta, preparing to slap the cultist again. But at this point, Chouko had stood up and latched onto his wrist, stopping him.

"Fuuta, stop," the silver-haired girl said.

"Why?!"

"He's clearly one of those who believed the lies my father has fed him."

Chouko glared at the cultist, who chanted again, more quickly this time, "Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form. Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change. Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy. Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life. And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits."

"Well, we're not gonna get anything out of him, that's for sure," spat Fuuta. "Okay, guess we're gonna get Mom out of here on our own-"

"No, wait," interrupted Chouko. "Let me try something. Check on your mother."

Fuuta nodded and ran over to Junna's limp form, while Chouko knelt down to the chanting cultist. For some reason, there was something about this man that vaguely reminded Chouko of something or someone, but she ignored the feeling.

"Listen to me."

"Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form," chanted the cultist.

"I know you're lost. I know my father provided a place for you, one where you _truly_ felt you belonged." Her golden eyes softened as she reflected on the loneliness she experienced for most of her life, and the memory of a redheaded boy flashed across her mind for a brief moment. "I think I can relate."

"Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change."

Chouko declared determinedly, "But what my father provided to you was all based on a horrible, horrible lie, made just to promote his own self-serving delusion!"

The cultist stopped for a moment and glared at Chouko in surprise. There was a certain glimmer in his eyes, one that told Chouko that she was right about him. But any hopes that he would trust her word were dashed when he immediately resumed his eerie chant.

"Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy."

"Sir, if there is anyone in your life who you love, you've gotta think about them over this ideology. Because now's not the time to worry about the end of times! It's all about doing the right thing, and if you decide not to help us, then I won't be able to guarantee whatever will happen next!"

The man's voice wavered, and his lower lip quivered noticeably, but he continued to chant, "Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life. And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits."

Chouko sighed sadly, knowing that she will never get through to that man. His mind was too far gone into the madness that her father fed him.

She still couldn't believe it. _Her own father_ was responsible for all of these events...

Then, all of a sudden, her attention was diverted by Fuuta's screams.

"NO! No, no, no, no, MOM! Mom, stay with me! STAY WITH ME!"

Chouko crawled back to Fuuta and the fallen Junna, and she saw that Junna's skin had gone pale.

"Junna-san?!" exclaimed Chouko. "Junna-san! Junna-san, stay with me!"

"Go...without...me..." Junna croaked out. "_Go_..."

"NO! I CAN'T! I CAN'T LEAVE YOU HERE-"

"Leave me...and _live_... You must...leave me...and...live your life..." Junna clutched Chouko's hand and held on to it tightly. "Promise me...Chouko-chan. _Promise_...that you'll...live..."

A sob escaped Chouko's mouth, but the girl knew that there was nothing more that could be done. Too much time had been wasted, and Junna was bleeding out. There was no going back now.

"I promise, Junna-san..." she said.

Junna smiled and, using the last of her strength, lifted her other hand up to Chouko's face. Her trembling fingers caressed her tear-stained cheeks gently, and for the first time in perhaps her entire life, the silver-haired girl got to understand a mother's loving touch. She instinctively nuzzled her cheek into the maid's fingers.

Junna's smile widened and she whispered, "You'll be...a great...pianist...someday..." She then started glancing between Chouko and Fuuta in turn. "I love you both..."

And with that, a rattle sounded in her throat, and Junna was gone.

* * *

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _SYSTEM_ERROR_ **

** _response_protocol_requested_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh...response protocol? Sounds pretty serious. How will this pose a problem to our heroes? Stay tuned to find out!
> 
> And thus, a character in this story has died. Poor, poor Junna Ukiyo. And poor Fuuta/Naoi. I tried to make this as dramatic as I could, but since we barely spent any time with Junna, I knew it wasn't going to be much of a tearjerker like the actual anime. But hey, I did what I could with what I had, and I'm still proud of this chapter's progression because of it.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this long and crazy chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	19. Rescues, Part 1 of 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 18: RESCUES, PART 1 OF 3**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

Takeyama -_ Touya Hamada_

Fujimaki - _Fuyuhiko Ezakiya_

* * *

** _response_protocol_requested_ **

** _response_protocol_requested_ **

** _response_protocol_requested_ **

** _response_protocol_requested_ **

** _response_protocol_requested_ **

* * *

**Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"So, you enjoying that ice cream?"

"Mm-hm!"

Naotatsu smiled gently as he watched Yumie take another lick of the strawberry ice cream he purchased for her. Right now, the two teenagers were sitting outside a local café, with Naotatsu enjoying his own vanilla-and-chocolate-mix ice cream. It was just like any other day the two spent together, quiet but joyful nonetheless.

Ever since his childhood, he set out to try and absolve himself of his past failure: his precious little sister. He lost her to something that was perfectly well within his control, and he felt guilty about it ever since. Naotatsu helped start up the Global Awareness Club in hopes of finding absolution, but so far, nothing he did there seemed to fulfill that deep desire of his. In recent months, he wondered if it would be better for him if he dropped out of the club and search for something else to alleviate him.

Then, in some miraculous moment that seemed befitting as a gift from God, he met her.

Yumie Matsushina.

Now, he felt that, with her by her side and under his care, he could finally find closure...

At the same time, though, Naotatsu felt sorry for Yumie, and for more reasons than one. She grew up in a family that struggled to make ends meet, and even her older brother was barely home all the time, being at either school, work, or the Global Awareness Club. There were many days where Yumie had the house all to herself. Naotatsu was quite glad that she eventually chose to follow her brother into the club; she desperately needed friends she could rely on and lean on.

"Sorry if you were scared back at Kimmie's," Naotatsu said. "I told you there'd be cops there, but I didn't know security was buffed up in recent days."

"I-I-It's o-okay..." Yumie stuttered out. "I-I wasn't s-sc-sc-scared..."

"You were holding onto my arm tightly until we arrived here."

Yumie blushed in embarrassment.

"You pretty much cut off the blood flow in that arm."

Yumie's blush deepened.

"You were crying for a half-hour."

Yumie's blush deepened even more.

"You were calling out for your mom and dad."

Yumie looked down at the ground to conceal her red face.

"Yeah, I'd say you weren't scared at all."

Yumie started to squeal quietly in shame. Naotatsu chuckled at Yumie's reaction before adding, "But you did well, talking to Kimmie back there."

Yumie's head shot up, and Naotatsu could literally see stars in her pink eyes. "You-You think so?!" she exclaimed.

"Of course! I'm impressed, not to mention proud." The blue-haired boy smiled warmly at her. "Keep it up, Kimmie. Soon, everyone will want to be your friend. I mean, who wouldn't want to be your friend?"

The pink-haired girl smiled from cheek to cheek as she cried out, unusually loudly, "THANK YOU, ONII-CHAN!"

Her outburst prompted the other customers to glare at the two teenagers, wondering what all the fuss was about. Yumie, quick to notice this, turned pink again and looked down at the ground. As for Naotatsu, he chuckled again at her antics.

"Onii-chan, huh?" he asked.

"I-I'm s-so-so s-s-sorry! I-I d-di-did-didn't m-mean to-"

"Don't apologize, Yumie." Naotatsu patted Yumie on the head gently. "I'm glad you think of me like a big brother. But I do feel bad about Ginga-kun, though. Wonder what he's gonna think about that..."

Yumie's blush deepened for some reason, but Naotatsu didn't notice. Instead, he pulled out his cellphone from his pocket and started dialing a number. He had tried calling Takahashi three times before, just like what Kimiko requested, but all of the attempts went unanswered. He knew the Takahashi family had to be under stronger police protection just like Kimiko, but if no one knew why security measures were stepped up, then it was quite a disconcerting implication...

He thought about stopping over at Takahashi's house to investigate (being a new friend of his, he learned Takahashi's home address), but he didn't want to get Yumie scared by a bunch of trigger-happy maniacs they call Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department officers.

Once he was done dialing, Naotatsu held the phone to his ear and waited for the other end to pick up.

"Come on, Takahashi, come on," he said. "If you don't answer, Kimmie's gonna have my ass on a platter."

Unfortunately, he got a voicemail message again.

_ **"Hello, this is the Takahashi household. Unfortunately, we're-"** _

"Damn it, Takahashi... Why the hell won't you pick up?"

Naotatsu hung up and watched Yumie as she continued to lick her strawberry ice cream. Her eyes were glittering with pleasure and contentment, which caused the blue-haired boy to forget about Takahashi and Kimiko's request for a moment and smile fondly at her. It sure was fun, being with her for the entire day...

Suddenly, he spotted something over her shoulder. Looking over it, he saw two young teenage girls walking down the sidewalk. One of them, who was carrying a sheathed shinai on her back, looked very fidgety and nervous. Upon closer inspection, Naotatsu was shocked to realize that he _knew_ those girls.

"_Tamika-chan_?" he asked. "_Naomi_?"

* * *

"I don't know about this, Onee-chan..." Tamika said as she followed Naomi down the sidewalk.

"Well, it's too late to turn back now," replied Naomi. "You just defied the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department by sneaking past them while they're trying to protect you. Not to mention you defied Kimiko's order to stay put. I say you get to this kendo practice of yours and then get back home while everyone still hasn't noticed. Sounds like a good plan, right?"

"But what if someone notices?"

"Like anyone's going to see through the little ruse we created."

"Not Onee-chan! She knows better than to fall for something like that!"

Naomi turned around to glare at her younger sister. "Look around, Tamika! You see all of that?!" She held out her arms, gesturing to their surroundings, which boasted an unbroken tranquility. "No police officers! No helicopters circling around the sky, looking for us! And guess what?! No goddamn CULTISTS! Nothing like that within the fifteen minutes we've both been out of the goddamn house. So guess what? We just proved Kimiko and all those officers _wrong_. Those creeps are not after all of _us_, they're just after _her_."

"The cultists could just be waiting for the perfect time to strike," Tamika replied in warning. "We're out in a public street, with too many other people around. With all the police breathing down their necks, I doubt they're gonna risk attacking us out here."

"Yeah, but our path is ripe with people! We're never gonna take the cliched lonely shortcut. We're just gonna head straight to your kendo practice, using the path you always take, and then retrace our steps to get back home. Simple as that!"

Tamika looked around, examining the other pedestrians as if any of them were cultists undercover, ready to strike at any minute.

"I _really_ don't know about this..." she said.

"Oh, come on!" Tamika exclaimed in exasperation. "We sneaked out of the house, and we're sure as hell not gonna let that all be for nothing! Remember what the old Kimiko would've done?!"

"She wouldn't have wanted us to risk our lives for this!"

"You're talking about the Kimiko we're stuck with right now!"

"NO! The old Kimiko wouldn't have let us take that risk either!" Tamika crossed her arms. "I-I've changed my mind! I'm going back home, before anyone notices what we're really up to!"

"Too late," a voice said.

Tamika twirled around and saw a blue-haired boy standing behind her. Taking shelter behind him, like he was a shield, was a small, shy-looking, pink-haired girl. She immediately recognized the boy as Kimiko's friend at the Global Awareness Club, Naotatsu Yunokawa. She didn't know who the girl was, but she assumed she was also a club member.

"N-Na-Naotatsu!" Naomi cried in shock. "Wha-What're _you_ doing here?!"

"That's the question I should be asking you two. So..." Naotatsu crossed his arms. "What are _you_ two doing here?"

"Sightseeing," spat Naomi.

The blue-haired boy arched an eyebrow. "Sightseeing, huh?" He looked around the street curiously. "Well...I would've let you two off the hook for that, if it weren't for the fact that you're supposed to be at home, under the watchful eye of your sister, dad, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department."

Tamika looked down at the ground in shame, but Naomi remained defiant.

"To hell with what Kimiko says!" Naomi shouted. "You know what, Naotatsu?! We just proved something!"

"Oh? And that is...what?"

"Tamika and I have been out here for fifteen damn minutes, and not once were we attacked by any cultists! So that means they have no intention of going after us! They just want _her_." She then stomped her way towards Naotatsu. "So, you and your girlfriend better get the hell out of our way, because Tamika needs to go to her kendo practice, and there's no way in hell she's gonna miss out on it!"

Naotatsu narrowed his eyes at Naomi, while Yumie blushed at the thought of being called Naotatsu's girlfriend.

"Are you sure this is about Tamika-chan's kendo practice?" asked Naotatsu. "Or is this really about your petty feud with your older sister?"

"IT'S NOT PETTY, GODDAMN IT!" Naomi stomped her foot down like a spoiled child having a pathetic temper tantrum. "SHE THINKS SHE CAN BOSS US AROUND AND ACT LIKE OUR MOM, BUT SHE IS A FAILURE! AND SHE HAS NO RIGHT TO DO EITHER! ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE COULD'VE STOPPED IT FROM HAPPENING!"

"Stop what from happening?"

"Like it's any of _your_ damn business."

"I've known your sister for a long time, and that means I've known you all for a long time, by extension. I've been to your house many times, I've watched you guys many times. I might as well consider myself family!"

"You've got no right to consider yourself _my_ family! You're just a stupid guy with a stupid crush!"

Naotatsu blinked his eyes in surprise, while Tamika and Yumie looked just as flabbergasted.

"What in the world are you talking about, Naomi?" the boy asked.

"Oh, you think you've hidden it from Kimiko _so well_, that you're so subtle! Well, just because Kimiko doesn't know about it, doesn't mean you've hidden it away from anyone else! It's as obvious as day!"

Naotatsu remained silent, and there was a mysterious look now present in his eyes. Tamika and Yumie were both looking at him now, wondering what kind of secret it was that he had been hiding from everyone else.

Finally, Naotatsu said defiantly, "It doesn't matter if I had a crush on your sister. What matters is that I DO care about you guys very much, and I want to keep you all safe, no matter what it takes. So you are perfectly free to grief me about my crush all you want, Naomi. I won't stop you. But I AM gonna stop you for endangering yourself and Tamika, and there is nothing you can do to stop me on that."

"Watch me," Naomi spat. She immediately took Tamika's hand and burst into a full-fledged sprint, with Tamika being half-dragged along.

"NAOMI!" Naotatsu screamed. He then looked down at Yumie. "You up for some running, Yumie-chan?"

"H-Huh?" the pink-haired girl squeaked out.

But she had no choice, or any time to protest. Naotatsu grabbed her hand and ran as well, essentially half-dragging her like Naomi with Tamika.

* * *

Further down the street, just yards away from the four teenagers, three people walked briskly after them. One was wearing a formal dark-colored suit and tie, another was dressed like a fish market worker, and the third was young enough to be a college student. However, despite their stark differences in clothing, it was clear they were all in a group, judging by their coordinated, organized movements.

"Looks like we have the targets," the college student said.

"We must tread carefully," advised the fish market worker. "Matsushina's sister is in close proximity."

"I noticed. How're we gonna snatch them if those two are pursuing them as well?"

The suit-wearing man grinned malevolently. "I think I have an idea..." he said.

* * *

Right after the suspicious trio passed him, Takayoshi Asahara broke his gaze away from the newspaper he was pretending to read, and redirected it towards them.

"So now you're gonna hurt those girls, huh cult?" he snarled. He immediately dropped his newspaper and stood up from his bench. "Not if I can help it. You're not gonna hurt anymore people. You're not gonna make them suffer like how you made my father suffer. Prepare for vengeance, you bastards..."

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters  
Tokyo, Japan**

Chouko and Fuuta ran down the hallway, silent and pale-faced. Fuuta was still wielding his dual Heckler & Koch USP pistols. So far, they hadn't come across any more cultists, not that they wanted to anyway. In fact, they didn't really care about anything at all now. They just saw someone extremely important to the both of them die right in front of them.

_"She suffered,"_ Chouko thought. _"Junna-san suffered when she died... He... Father will _pay_."_

"Do you know where the exit is?" Fuuta asked suddenly. He stopped running, as did Chouko.

"What?" the silver-haired girl replied blankly.

"Do you know where the exit is?" he repeated, putting some more emphasis on his tone.

"No. I regained consciousness after I got here. I assume the same applies to you."

"Actually, I came to on the way here. I was in a vehicle, a van possibly. We went up an elevator. It...It smelled quite nice..."

This caught Chouko's attention. "Was there any elevator music?"

"No. Aside from the smell, it was quite a dull ride."

"Oh, my God..." Chouko looked around the hallway and noticed, for the first time, the high-class aura surrounding it. "We're at Hashimoto Communications Headquarters!"

Fuuta blinked, flabbergasted. "We...We _are_?"

"Yes. We must be on a floor I've never been in... Father never let me go into the floors besides the top floor and the lobby."

With that remark, Chouko realized something: had she been a _bit_ curious and explored the building on her free time up here (which she did have), then she probably would've realized what sort of atrocities her father had been planning... Her mother would've still been alive...and Junna too...

Fuuta seemed to have noticed her expression of guilt, for he sheathed his pistols into his pockets and latched his hands on her shoulders.

"Chouko, you can't blame yourself for what happened," he said.

"Fuuta... Your mother died in front of you... I could've done _something_..._anything_..."

"I don't blame you for what happened to my mother. Not one bit." He tightened his grip on her shoulders. "I blame your bastard of a father! He's always been an egotistical maniac; I should've known he'd be behind this madness!"

"Yes... He's my father..." Chouko looked down at the floor in shame. "Then what does that make me...?"

Fuuta released her shoulders. "The only person who could stop him," he replied.

"How?" The girl looked back up at her friend. "How could I stop him? He's my father..."

"He doesn't deserve to be _anyone's_ father! Chouko, all he's ever done for you was fill your head with these ideas about a powerful business, a powerful mass media, a powerful country! He's forced many unreasonable burdens and responsibilities upon your shoulders! He's never let you be you! And most of all, he's never shown you any true love! I could see it as clear as day! All the times he's told you how proud he is of you, he's just proud because you're living up to his delusional expectations!"

Chouko bit her lower lip. "And I never spoke up against that..."

Fuuta's eyes softened. "Yeah... Yeah, you didn't..." Then, his eyes narrowed again. "But it's better late than never!"

"Huh...?"

"Chouko, now is the time to make up for all those times you could've said 'no' to your father! You can do that by rebelling against him, stopping him from carrying out the next stage of his plan!"

"But how will we know what to do when we don't even know what the next stage of his plan really is?!"

"We know it has something to do with you! You remember the BS he said?"

** _"You two serve as the final nail of the coffin. The last motivating force for anyone still not convinced by this point. You two are my lambs, the ones who will propel the last of the Japanese people back to their flag!"_ **

"My lambs..." repeated Chouko. "The ones who will propel the last of the Japanese people back to their flag..."

"He's definitely going to do something to you, something truly horrific, one that'll send everyone in a desperate panic."

"But what? He and his cult have already done enough horrific stuff. The people are afraid. What more can he do to them?"

"Something the cult hasn't done yet... Damn, we should've asked that guy in the armory!"

Chouko shook her head. "His mind was too far gone. He wasn't going to be helpful." She strolled past Fuuta, a determined look on her face. "We mustn't concern ourselves with what F-Father has planned. Whatever it is, the only thing we can do to stop it is to run. Keep ourselves out of his reach as long as we can until we get help."

"There _is_ no help," Fuuta spat between gritted teeth as he followed his friend. "The cultists who got me and Mom... They were the officers assigned to protect us. Every last one of them. We...We actually _trusted_ them with our lives..."

"Not everyone in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is a cultist. There is someone we can turn to."

Fuuta laughed dryly. "Really? Who?"

* * *

Sergeant Madoka Igarashi stormed inside the Hashimoto Communications Headquarters main lobby, his .38 Special New Nambu 60 revolver drawn. It was eerily empty, and there wasn't even a sound of advertisement coming from the overhead telecoms or TV sets. At the corner of his eye, Igarashi spotted several spatters of fresh blood, including one decent-sized one.

He slowly, cautiously clicked the gun safety off. Though the click was silent, his ears, too accustomed to the silence and loneliness, interpreted the sound as being louder.

Advancing towards the elevators, Igarashi noticed bloodied drag marks headed towards one of them. Obviously, someone was attacked, injured, and taken upstairs. He prayed to the heavens it wasn't Arata Takahashi.

As he approached the elevator where the bloody drag marks ended, Igarashi felt his cellphone vibrate inside his pocket. He looked around to see if anyone was nearby, then took it out and answered the call.

"Igarashi."

_ **"Hello, Sergeant."** _

The sergeant's face paled. "I'm surprised you called me."

_ **"Well, what can I say? You gave your number to me in case of an emergency."** _

"Well, I don't think your current situation constitutes 'an emergency'." Igarashi pressed the summon button. "After all, you haven't really been kidnapped."

_ **"I know. I just wanted to call to express my admiration of you. After all, my eyes and ears have informed me you caught on to my true role in these events. I was truly impressed, not to mention surprised. After all, your colleagues are running around, chasing their own tails in an attempt to find me and remedy their very embarrassing failure."** _

"Well, I'm not my colleagues."

_ **"I am quite aware. My own colleagues have been reporting you to me for some time. They have always said how you aren't like the other officers they have surveyed. What were the words one used? Ah. Efficient. Dedicated. Incorruptible. But the one word...actually, the two words that really caught my eye were these ones: consistently engaged."** _

"If you know so much about me, then why'd you admit how impressed you are of me?" Igarashi stepped into the now-open elevator and watched as its doors slid themselves shut. "At this point, you would've seen this coming, me not buying your story of being an innocent, philanthropic businessman menaced by an extremist organization."

_ **"I couldn't help myself. Not for any longer. I wish to know."** _

_2..._

_3..._

_4..._

"Know what?" Igarashi asked.

_ **"Why you continue to do your job so faithfully and efficiently? My inferiors have reported that other officers, all with as much experience on their belts as yours, have become jaded and disillusioned over time. Yet you never waver from your goals."** _

"I believe in upholding the law in all of Tokyo. That is something that one should never waver from."

_ **"What a disappointing response. I expected better from you."** _

_11..._

_12..._

_13..._

"I'm surprised," Igarashi remarked dryly. "You expected more from me, when you literally have my file in your hand?"

_ **"On May 1st, three years ago, radical Japanese nationalists stormed the American School in Japan. They held everyone inside hostage. By the end of the week, all but twenty were released. That was when orders were made to breach the school and engage the nationalists in combat. But you had an officer stall to give you time, while you led a ragtag group of officers into the school through another way. You all knocked out the nationalists, stealthily, one by one until the scene was secured."** _

"Ahhhhh, so you _do_ have my file in your hand."

_37..._

_38..._

_39..._

Sadahiro ignored Igarashi and continued,**_ "What__ I _am _curious about is why you wasted your time to save those remaining twenty hostages. There were over 500 hostages. You saved about 480. The police were trained for a situation such as this. The technology was perfect for the avoidance of collateral damage. I did the math, Sergeant. At worst, about five hostages could've lost their lives in the crossfire. What difference does five lost lives make?"_**

Igarashi's eyes narrowed. "And this is what's inherently wrong about you, Hashimoto. You are willing to believe that a million is just a statistic. But it isn't. A million is a _million_."

_ **"And in your eyes, five lost lives are five lost lives. But I do wish to know...why did you take it upon yourself to take this risk? It may have been a career-making one, but it was also a career-ending one. Not to mention a life-ending one."** _

"Like you said, it's because five lost lives are _five lost lives_."

** _"No, it seems more than that..."_ **

Igarashi felt his mouth run dry. And the dryness was bringing him back to the tunnel.

**_"You really _did_ want to save those people, did you? You wanted to personally ensure their survival, ensure no one was left out. That sort of thing...can only be caused by something revolutionary that happened in your life..."_**

"A mugger shot and killed my mom in front of me, and I could've done something to stop him."

He could hear Sadahiro chuckle. _**"How terribly cliched, Sergeant. I know it had to be something that you kept hidden from the public, hidden away from everyone else. After all, my own company handled the story; we would've caught something interesting to divulge to the consumers. No, you've been hiding something from all of us, all this time. Something you really don't want any of us to know..."**_

It was Igarashi's turn to chuckle, as he struggled with the memories of the tunnel and the empty eyes. "I think the point of blackmailing me is if you find something embarrassing or incriminating _first_ before showing your cards, not the other way around."

_ **"Who said I was blackmailing you? I am an honest man, Sergeant, as all Hashimotos are. And I truly wish to know the root of your pain."** _

"A strong dedication to the law. You see it as _pain_?"

_ **"A strong dedication to the law is clearly all you know. But that can only take a man so far."** _

"You're the leader of a murderous cult, who has been arranging a series of horrific events for God-knows-whatever reason, and you're _pitying_ me? Good God, we really _are_ closing in on you, aren't we?"

_ **"No, ** _ **you _are. Remember, I have eyes and ears in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. And those buffoons are farther from the truth. And you, well...as dedicated and lawful as you are, you are only just one police officer. Just a small black pawn on this chessboard."_**

"And I take it you're the white king?"

_ **"You flatter me, Sergeant Igarashi. Now, enough of this deflection. I suggest you enlighten me now."** _

"You _really_ want to learn what makes me tick, don't you?"

However, instead of Sadahiro's voice, he heard another voice on the other end.

_ **"** _ **Igarashi** _ **?!"** _

Igarashi's eyes widened in horror. _"Takahashi!"_

_145..._

_146..._

_147..._

* * *

"Hello, Sergeant."

Otonashi's eyes fluttered open, and he found himself sitting on a luxurious couch in a nice-looking suite. The ceiling and the entire opposite wall was pure glass, which gave him a perfect view of downtown Tokyo in all of its glory.

_"The world sure has changed while I was dead,"_ Otonashi thought as he noticed the new buildings and strange architecture that made up the structures. However, the view was good enough that he could also see the Tokyo Imperial Palace and its East Gardens...which surprisingly were left mostly untouched.

"Well, what can I say? You gave your number to me in case of an emergency."

Otonashi glanced to his left and saw the man named Sadahiro Hashimoto seated at a desk. In his lap was a file, while his right hand was holding a cellphone that he was currently speaking in.

"I know. I just wanted to call to express my admiration of you."

The redhead tried to move, but immediately realized he was tied up by his wrists and ankles with duct tape, with his arms behind his back. Fortunately, his mouth wasn't covered with duct tape, but he didn't dare to speak.

"After all, my eyes and ears have informed me you caught on to my true role in these events. I was truly impressed, not to mention surprised. After all, your colleagues are running around, chasing their own tails in an attempt to find me and remedy their very embarrassing failure."

_"Colleagues... Who the hell is talking to? What the hell is he talking about?"_ Otonashi looked around, examining his surroundings in further detail. _"I gotta get the hell outta here!"_

"I am quite aware. My own colleagues have been reporting you to me for some time."

At that moment, Otonashi eyed the glass table right in front of him and spotted a blue pen lying on its surface. He inched towards the table and reached his mouth towards the pen, hoping to pick it up with his teeth.

"They have always said how you aren't like the other officers they have surveyed. What were the words one used? Ah. Efficient. Dedicated. Incorruptible. But the one word...actually, the two words that really caught my eye were these ones: consistently engaged."

At that moment, Otonashi fell over on the sofa, much to his dismay. He cursed in his mind and glanced at Sadahiro, but the businessman didn't seem to notice. Then, Otonashi noticed someone else present inside the room: a young, petite, blue-haired woman with a clipboard in her eyes. At first, he wanted to yell out to her, but then, he realized she may be in cahoots with Sadahiro and quickly reconsidered.

"I couldn't help myself. Not for any longer. I wish to know. ...Why you continue to do your job so faithfully and efficiently?"

Watching the woman carefully, Otonashi sat back up straight and reached his mouth towards the pen again. He stopped for a moment when the woman scribbled something on the clipboard, then resumed his movements.

"My inferiors have reported that other officers, all with as much experience on their belts as yours, have become jaded and disillusioned over time. Yet you never waver from your goals."

_"Yes!"_ the redhead exclaimed in his mind as he clenched his teeth around the blue pen.

"What a disappointing response. I expected better from you."

Otonashi prepared to use the pen to stab into the duct tape restraining his ankles when...

"On May 1st, three years ago, radical Japanese nationalists stormed the American School in Japan."

The redheaded teenager stopped and glanced at Sadahiro, feeling strangely, extremely intrigued.

"They held everyone inside hostage. By the end of the week, all but twenty were released. That was when orders were made to breach the school and engage the nationalists in combat. But you had an officer stall to give you time, while you led a ragtag group of officers into the school through another way. You all knocked out the nationalists, stealthily, one by one until the scene was secured.

"What I am curious about is why you wasted your time to save those remaining twenty hostages. There were over 500 hostages. You saved about 480. The police were trained for a situation such as this. The technology was perfect for the avoidance of collateral damage. I did the math, Sergeant. At worst, about five hostages could've lost their lives in the crossfire. What difference does five lost lives make?"

Otonashi smiled in admiration for this sergeant, whoever he was. This guy sounded a lot like him. And he could imagine this man giving Sadahiro some sort of courageous response.

"And in your eyes, five lost lives are five lost lives. But I do wish to know...why did you take it upon yourself to take this risk? It may have been a career-making one, but it was also a career-ending one. Not to mention a life-ending one."

_"Because it was the right thing to do, you sick bastard,"_ Otonashi snarled in his mind.

"No, it seems more than that... You _really_ did want to save those people, did you? You wanted to personally ensure their survival, ensure no one was left out. That sort of thing...can only be caused by something revolutionary that happened in your life..."

In his distraction, Otonashi dropped his pen...which clattered on the wooden floor and rolled away from his feet. He froze in place, and he heard Sadahiro chuckle, but the businessman did not stop talking into the phone.

"How terribly cliched, Sergeant. I know it had to be something that you kept hidden from the public, hidden away from everyone else."

Then, at the corner of his eye, Otonashi saw the blue-haired woman approaching him.

_"Crap! She noticed! Crap, crap, crap!"_

The woman stopped beside the pen and picked it up. Then, she glared downward at Otonashi, placed an index finger on her lips...and smiled kindly.

"After all, my own company handled the story; we would've caught something interesting to divulge to the consumers. No, you've been hiding something from all of us, all this time. Something you really don't want any of us to know..."

Otonashi continued to look up at the woman in confusion. _"What, is she a friend or something...?"_ he thought.

"It's okay, Takahashi-kun," the woman whispered at him. When Otonashi continued to stare at her, she seemed to deduce his lack of recognition with her, so she continued, "My name is Haruka Teshima."

"Are you with..._him_...?" asked Otonashi, twitching his head at Sadahiro.

"That's what he thinks. But I've had enough. I always did." Haruka took Otonashi's upper body and re-positioned him on the couch. "Just stay quiet, Takahashi-kun. When the opportunity comes, I'll free you and show you a way out of here."

"I can't leave yet. I have to save her."

Haruka blinked in surprise. "Save her?" she repeated. "Save who?"

Before Otonashi could respond, Sadahiro suddenly said, "You flatter me, Sergeant Igarashi. Now, enough of this deflection. I suggest you enlighten me now."

Otonashi's heart stopped at the familiar name, and, before he could stop himself, he yelled out, "_Igarashi_?!"

For the first time, Sadahiro noticed the fully-conscious Otonashi. Then, his pupils flitted over to Haruka, and Otonashi's eyes widened when he remembered she was still holding the pen. He mentally cursed himself at his stupidity as Sadahiro stood up and produced a gun from his waist...

Otonashi gritted his teeth when he recognized the gun as his own.

"What do you think you're doing, Toki-san?" Sadahiro asked in an eerily calm voice.

"The boy was trying to escape, so I stopped him!" Haruka exclaimed, putting the pen back down on the table and raising her arms innocently. "I swear, Hashimoto-sama, I wasn't trying to free him!"

"I've been working in the business sector for my whole life, honey. I can tell a liar when I see and hear one." He clicked off the gun safety. "I never liked you as a secretary anyway, Tono-san..."

"NO!" Otonashi screamed.

A gunshot rang out, but it wasn't Sadahiro who fired. He collapsed to the ground, revealing a brown-haired, gray-eyed, serious-looking man holding a .38 New Nambu 60 revolver, which had smoke oozing out of the barrel. Otonashi recognized him as the police sergeant from before, the one who didn't take anything he said seriously. But now that he was looking at him in a different light, it was unmistakable.

This man was Igarashi.

"Is everyone alright?!" he cried.

"Yes, thanks to you," Haruka breathed out in relief.

Igarashi ran up to Otonashi and tore off the duct tape binding him. "Are you okay, Takahashi?"

"Y-Yeah..." Otonashi replied, still staring at the sergeant incredulously.

He never knew what happened to Igarashi after his own death. All he remembered was faintly hearing Igarashi's joy that people were actually coming to save him, but that didn't prove anything to him at the time. Otonashi didn't even know if Igarashi died as well; after all, he never saw him in the Afterlife, and he didn't ask Igarashi for his age. But now, it was very apparent that this police sergeant was the same person who always took his side, who always assisted him after the train crash...the one who helped him keep going during his final moments...

Otonashi couldn't help but smile, which Igarashi noticed.

"Why?" the sergeant asked. "What's wrong?"

"I'm _so_ glad to see you again...Igarashi..." Otonashi replied happily.

Igarashi blinked in confusion, not that Otonashi was surprised to see such a reaction. Then, he narrowed his eyes at the redheaded teenager.

"Get up," he said sternly. "We've gotta get you outta here, now!"

"We can't use the elevators!" Haruka exclaimed. "Hashimoto will be reporting to the others soon! By the time we get halfway down the building, they'll know what happened and disable any immediate means of escape!"

"So then we'll take the long way. Where's the stairs?"

"Over here! Come, quick!"

Haruka dashed towards a door located next to the elevators, quickly followed by Igarashi. However, Otonashi remained behind to retrieve his gun from Sadahiro's fallen body. As the redhead bent down and picked the gun up, he noticed something, and his eyes widened in realization.

There was a bullet hole in Sadahiro's back...but no blood.

"CRAP!" Otonashi screamed as he scrambled over the couch, just in time to avoid Sadahiro's gleaming blade.

"You disappoint me, Arata Takahashi," the businessman said calmly as he withdrew his knife from the couch mattress. "The behavior that you showed during your stay under my wing may not have been satisfactory, but I _did_ sense a lot of potential coming from you. Out of the three of you, I truly believed you had what it took to move up the social ladder-"

He was cut off when Otonashi held him at gunpoint.

"That's very nice and all," the redhead snarled, "but when you realize the person who took you under his wing is nothing more than a lunatic, then you hope to be nothing more than a disappointment in that person's eyes."

"Takahashi, give me the gun and join the secretary downstairs," Igarashi hissed, having just rejoined him. "I'll take it from here."

Otonashi looked at Igarashi, mentally debating whether or not he should tell the sergeant the truth about himself, no matter how far-fetched it may sound to him. During that moment of hesitation, he saw, at the corner of his eye, Sadahiro jumping towards a table. The businessman yanked the drawer out, and procured a 9mm Glock 19 with an elongated magazine.

"DOWN!" Otonashi cried.

Both males fled behind the shelter of the hallway leading to the elevators, seconds before Sadahiro opened fire. The sound of near-rapid fire hammered throughout the office, and Otonashi could smell some smoke and dust already. When the gunfire stopped, Igarashi stuck his arm out from the corner of the wall and fired his revolver without looking. Upon withdrawing the arm, the gunfire resumed, and Otonashi and Igarashi heard Sadahiro quickly advancing on their position.

"He's almost out," Otonashi said over the sound of the bullets. He then glanced towards the elevators, which were still a couple of yards away. "We're never going to escape through the elevators." He then looked back at Igarashi. "Try drawing out his gunfire. Once he reloads, you go for it. Aim for the head; he's wearing a bulletproof vest."

"He's almost out?" repeated Igarashi. "How the hell do you know?"

"I know. You just have to trust me, Igarashi!"

Igarashi blinked in shock at Otonashi, and the redhead looked into the sergeant's eyes. In the sea of detached, professional gray, Otonashi could see a glimmer of some sort of emotion. Trust...?

Suddenly, they faintly heard the sound of reloading. Igarashi immediately leaped out from his hiding spot, preparing to fire...

But then, Otonashi saw his eyes widen in horror, and the sergeant instead jumped towards the couch, hoping to get shelter. Automatic gunfire ensued, focusing itself entirely on Igarashi. Otonashi yelled out and ran out from his shelter as well, his gun aimed and ready. Then, he realized why Igarashi abandoned the plan.

It wasn't the sound of reloading they heard. Sadahiro had opened a secret safe in the wall, from which he had retrieved an FN FAL battle rifle with a Beta C-Mag magazine attached.

"DIE, BASTARD!" Otonashi hollered as he started firing.

Sadahiro rolled out of the way and immediately focused the FN FAL with military-like precision. Otonashi gasped and started running as fast as he can towards the couch, hearing the gunfire follow a split-second later. The bullets were literally inches away from his body, barely missing their targets and striking the walls and then the wall of windows, shattering each individual one violently.

Otonashi reached the couch, but once he crouched behind it, bullets tore through it with ease, painting the floor with mattress stuffing. A couple of seconds later, Otonashi fled again before the gunfire could pulverize his hiding place. As he continued running, he saw Igarashi lying on the floor, uninjured and focusing his revolver on Sadahiro.

_ **BANG** _

* * *

Downstairs, Chouko and Fuuta stopped upon hearing the barrages of gunfire echoing through the walls and hallways.

"What the hell...?" Fuuta muttered.

At that moment, a crimson light bathed the hallway, and the blaring of a loud alarm merged with the gunfire, creating an unpleasant cacophony that filled the air.

"It looks like they figured out we escaped," muttered Chouko. She glanced down the hallway and saw, to her relief, the elevators at the other end. The girl took Fuuta's hand, and the pair of teenagers dashed towards the elevators, running past a few rows of desks.

Just before they could reach it, they heard the elevator doors opening slowly and forcefully.

"_Hand Sonic_," Chouko recited, materializing her blade while Fuuta aimed his dual pistols. They got themselves ready for any possible combat when they heard familiar, exhausted voices.

"Seriously, what the hell was the point of pressing _all the goddamn buttons_, Noriya?!"

"I thought we were gonna explore this place, Masako! I think the point of exploring a place is if we check out ALL the floors! And there's a fucking thousand of them, so-"

"But we agreed to check on the penthouse _first_! And now, all of those stops were for nothing, because the fucking elevator stopped for no reason!"

Chouko and Fuuta both sighed in relief as Hasumi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori stepped out from the elevator. Hitomi and Saori looked extremely bored, Hasumi had a dissatisfied look on her face, and Noriya and Masako were at each others' throats.

"Guys, for the love of God, stop fighting," Hasumi moaned out.

"Yes, Masako, stop fighting," Noriya said mockingly, glaring at the brown-haired girl with a sickeningly smug look.

"Not with that dumbass look!" Masako spat bitterly.

"Guys, look!" Saori suddenly exclaimed, pointing over Hasumi's shoulder. The others looked the opposite direction and saw Chouko and Fuuta standing there, looking a little befuddled by the argument they just overheard. "It's the rich girl and her butler!"

"Uh, excuse me?!" Fuuta cried, outraged by the label.

"I thought they were in witness protection or something," Hitomi said, confused.

"Well, so am I," replied Hasumi coolly. "Look where that got me." She approached Chouko with a gentle smile. "As good as it is to see a familiar face, um...what _are_ you doing here...?"

"I could say the same for you!" Chouko exclaimed. "Actually, don't explain. You guys have to get out of here! It isn't safe!"

"Believe me, we know this place is crawling with those awful cultists. Igarashi-san figured it out."

"Then why're you here?!" Fuuta asked.

"Because Arata-kun's here."

Chouko nodded, replying, "I know. I think he's in trouble."

Hasumi's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?! How is he?! Did you hear from him?!"

The silver-haired girl shook her head. "I didn't see him, but last I heard, they detected him trying to get into the building and they were on their way to get him."

"Ohhhhh, what a tragedy..." Masako remarked mockingly.

Chouko glared daggers at her, but Hasumi latched her hands on her shoulders and said, "Ignore her. We got through the entrance several minutes ago and we saw pools of blood. They weren't big, but clearly Arata got himself into more trouble than what he could handle."

Chouko blinked thrice in concern, then replied, "Then he must still be somewhere in this building..."

"Well, we can't just explore this place!" squeaked Hitomi. "It's ginormous!"

"Not to mention big," added Noriya obliviously.

"Then we start with my fa-father's office on the top floor," Chouko advised.

"On the top floor?" repeated Hasumi. "We're on the forty-ninth floor, and this place has, what, a hundred floors?"

"150."

"Yeah, I say exploring the top floor is a good bet," Masako said sarcastically. "If you hadn't noticed, the elevators have been deactivated."

"Not all of them. There's an elevator that goes up to the top floor only. It runs on its own power, so it shouldn't have been disabled by the emergency system."

"I never knew there was an extra elevator," remarked Fuuta.

"Well, it's meant for emergencies, and only Fa-Father and I know about it. Come on, I'll take you guys there."

"But if it goes up to the top floor only," said Saori, "then won't it just go straight up to the top floor and not the forty-ninth? What's the point?"

"You can summon it from any floor, but you can only use it to go to the lobby or the top floor. Now, come on! We can't waste any more time-"

"Too late," another voice said.

Everyone twirled around towards the end of the hallway, and Chouko recognized, to her shock, Fuyuhiko Ezakiya. He was flanked by six cultists. Four were holding a variety of guns, while two held melee weapons. Fuyuhiko's lips curved into a hungry, malevolent sneer.

"Well, well, well," he said, "what a pleasant surprise! A whole bunch of nonbelievers, all ripe for picking!" He reached into his pocket and withdrew a knife that glinted even in the red light. "I'm SO gonna enjoy peeling the skin off your muscles!"

"Over my dead body, ya little prick," spat Noriya.

"You guys hide somewhere," Chouko instructed. "We'll handle them."

"_You guys_ against _them_?!" exclaimed Hasumi. "How're you guys gonna-?"

Chouko raised her arm, which was still in its Hand Sonic mode. As for Fuuta, he twirled his guns on his pinkie fingers before catching them and aiming them towards the cultists. Hasumi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori's eyes widened in surprise at their weapons.

"Point taken," Saori said quickly.

Fuyuhiko's sneer widened menacingly. "Oh, so you guys are armed as well. Now THIS is gonna be fun." He jumped towards the side, giving his fellow cultists room for their gunfire. "BRING THE RAIN, GUYS, BRING THE FUCKING RAIN!"

Chouko and Fuuta both rolled behind the nearest row of desks, while the others fled back inside the still-open elevator. A few split-seconds later, a barrage of bullets flew down the empty hallway, peppering the wall at the end. As soon as the gunfire stopped, the two cultists with the melee weapons ran forward. One was armed with a pair of daggers, and the other was armed with a machete.

The daggers-wielding cultist approached the desks Chouko and Fuuta hid behind, only to find that they were not there anymore.

"AGH!"

Chouko leaped from another row of desks, sprinting over one to the next, and brought down her Hand Sonic blade.

"YYYAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"

The man clutched the stump where his hand once was, as it spurted out fresh blood. A second later, Fuuta stood up and fired his pistols, striking the cultist in both legs. Gunfire from the cultists resumed, but Chouko and Fuuta were able to find cover again while their fellow cultist was hit with additional bullets before he could even hit the ground.

Meanwhile, the machete-wielding cultist approached the elevator where Hasumi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori were hiding. As he grew nearer, he tauntingly tapped the tip of his machete against the nearby wall, eliciting terrified squeaks from both Hitomi and Saori.

"Come on out, kids," he said in a giggly voice. "I won't hurt ya."

"Yeah, what a bunch of hippy-dippy BS," spat Noriya.

"Well, since you asked so nicely... I'll now be sure to give you THE MOST PAINFUL DEATH ONE CAN **IMAGINE**!"

The man ran to the entrance and swung his machete down into the elevator. But then, Noriya deftly caught its blade in midair by clapping his hands around it, without injuring his palms.

"What the?!" exclaimed the cultist.

"Whoa, Noriya?!" Masako cried, equally as surprised. "What the hell?!"

Noriya then kicked the man in the groin, causing him to drop the weapon. With the machete's blade still between his palms, the purple-haired teenager tossed it into the air and expertly caught it by its handle, effectively becoming its new, unofficial owner.

"N-_Noriya_...?" Hasumi asked in a flabbergasted voice. "Where... Where'd you learn those _moves_?"

"Yeah, I never figured you for a martial arts kind of guy," Hitomi remarked.

"M-Me neither..." For the first time, legitimate surprise dawned upon Noriya's expression. "What the hell was that...?"

"GIVE ME BACK MY MACHETE, YOU BASTARD!"

The cultist dashed forward, prepared to strike Noriya. However, the teenager's eyes narrowed, and he raised his machete threateningly, causing the man to stop. A couple of seconds later, he screamed fearfully and ran away as fast as he could, causing the group of teenagers to sweat-drop at his anticlimactic cowardice.

"Aoki and Hiraoka are down!" a voice shouted.

"Let's cut 'em down now!" another voice cried.

Fuyuhiko and the remaining cultists started to move forward. However, Chouko stepped into the middle of the hallway, her expression hardened and her stance imposing. The cultists wasted no time in firing their guns at her.

"CHOUKO!" Fuuta shrieked.

"_Distortion_," recited the silver-haired girl.

To the cultists' shock and horror, their bullets started bouncing away from her, being reflected by an invisible barrier.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" screamed a cultist.

Chouko then dashed forward, her blade poised to strike.

"KILL HER, KILL HER!" Fuyuhiko barked, but it was too late: Chouko reached the cultists just in time, allowing her to slash at their torsos and incapacitate all of them. Fuyuhiko jumped away to avoid another of her slashes, then unsheathed a dagger and aimed its blade at Chouko. "I don't know what's up with you, you freak-show, but I'm gonna make sure you-"

_ **BLAM!** _

"YAAARRRGGGHHH!"

The psychotic teenager collapsed to the floor, clutching his backside. Fuuta approached him, one of his guns still smoking.

"Don't call my best friend a freak-show," he said bitterly.

"YOU SHOT ME IN THE ASS! WHAT THE F-"

Chouko immediately grabbed Fuyuhiko by the collar of his shirt and aimed her Hand Sonic blade directly at his heart.

"What does my f-father have planned?!" she cried. "He definitely wants to do something with me, and you're going to tell me right now! Otherwise..." She sunk a third of her blade into his shoulder, drawing out a scream of pain from him, which Chouko did not enjoy. "I'll make you talk."

Fuyuhiko glared at the girl and sneered through a fog of agony. "Ahhhhhhhh, so now the little Hashimoto girl is so tough. I like your guts. You would've been a perfect member of our little congregation if-"

"Your little congregation was founded on a lie," Fuuta interrupted, just as Hasumi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori approached. "Sadahiro Hashimoto never believed in any of the crap you believe in, no matter how much he's been feeding it to you and your buddies! Believe me, he's cares nothing for whatever you're worshiping, only for his selfish needs!"

Fuyuhiko blinked in surprise. Then, he sneered again.

"Yeah, right," he said. "Just lies spouting from a nonbeliever, an infidel. None of you will stop us! All of you will just toil in your-"

Noriya suddenly stepped forward and aimed the machete he stole at Fuyuhiko's face; the tip rested against the teenage cultist's forehead.

"If you don't answer her," Noriya snarled threateningly, "I'll sink this thing through your stupid little brain."

But Fuyuhiko wasn't daunted by the threat. In fact, he continued to sneer up at the other teenagers, especially Chouko.

"It doesn't matter. You'll find out what your daddy has in store for you, sooner or later. You can run and hide from him all you want, but know this: he will not stop going after innocent people in the meantime, starting with your friends, until you come crawling back to him. So, I'd think about all the lives I'm jeopardizing if I were you."

Chouko's eyes widened in concern, and she instinctively looked up to the ceiling.

"Arata..." she whispered.

* * *

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the mystery and suspense continue to unfold! What will happen to our heroes next?! Stay tuned! :D
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	20. Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the extended wait, everyone. I was busy with final assignments for school, as well as updating other stories. I'm still in desperate need of reorganizing my fanfiction writing schedule. Fortunately, I had enough time to do this.
> 
> Now, I would like to talk about this new chapter. I'm sure you guys are extremely stoked to know what happens next to Otonashi/Takahashi, Kanade/Chouko, Yuri/Kimiko, and all of the other heroes in the showdown at Hashimoto's company. But I'm afraid I'm gonna have to take you out of the three-parter for this one chapter. This was a chapter that I had to write at the time, lest I lose my motivation and keep my readers at FanFiction.Net waiting for a while longer.
> 
> Alright, I think I've done enough talking. On with this late chapter! ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**INTERLUDE**

* * *

_ **"Thank you for loving me."** _

_ **"Please don't pass on, Kanade! Kanade!"** _

_ **"Truly, deeply...thank you for giving...my life to me."** _

_ **"...Kanade... KANADEEEEEEEEEE!"** _

* * *

Golden evening sunlight shone brightly across Hana's features as the teenage girl walked out of the school building and towards the track field. She was blinded for a moment, and she could barely see through the brilliant flash of light, only being able to discern the faint outlines of trees. She could also hear the voices of NPCs on the field, speaking as if they were in a regular high school. Oh, if only they were aware of what had been going on these very grounds for the past couple of weeks.

When her eyesight adjusted a little to the light, Hana could make out a large set of stairs, with water flowing tranquilly beside it, into a pool that glittered with the sunlight. Sitting there was a boy, probably older than her, with hair so red it was easily distinguishable even through the flash of golden sunlight. He was gazing distantly across the track field, towards the vast, perhaps endless sea of trees that surrounded the school grounds.

Hana couldn't help but smile softly. Yuzuru Otonashi had always been as mysterious as he was well-meaning. She came to learn that from the moment she had first met him.

"So, I take it that everyone's gone?" Otonashi asked, startling Hana. She was sure she didn't make a sound while approaching him.

"Y-Ye-Yeah..." At that moment, Hana's heart tugged a little at the memory of everyone... Kenji, Ai, Tsugumi... She still couldn't believe it was just her and Otonashi now, in this strange but homely place...

"That's good." The redhead sighed heavily and continued staring longingly across the track field. "I'm very glad. They all deserved closure and happiness. Kenji, in particular."

"Y-Yeah..."

Hana's thoughts settled on Kenji, the blond, red-eyed leader of the SSS organization she had been a part of for the past couple of weeks. The poor boy probably had the most tortured life out of all the SSS members. Abandoned as a young child, he was a member of a community of other homeless youth that struggled to make ends meet for themselves. One day, he evaded a convenience store owner and his baseball bat after stealing a bag of chips, only to get unceremoniously killed by a random passing train. That definitely ruined his lifelong dream of getting out of the streets and becoming a part of the society he could only observe from the shadows of alleyways and bridges. Hana could understand why he wanted to lash out at God and build SSS up from the ground...or more like rebuild it, since there had apparently been other members who already moved on before Kenji's arrival.

It was a good thing she and Otonashi helped him realize what he was already accomplishing through SSS, otherwise Kenji might've been left to an unknown, perhaps even worse fate.

"What should we do now...?" she asked, her voice a little shaky at the memories of her now-long-lost friends.

"_We_? What about you, Sugimoto?"

Hana's head perked up a little at the sound of Otonashi's voice. He was now looking at her with those dazzling burgundy eyes, the ones that deeply fascinated her when she met him on her first day...

"Wh-What about me, Otonashi-senpai?" she stuttered.

"You're obviously still here. You know you need to move on too."

Hana looked down at the ground. "Well...you know as well as I do that it won't work. After all...I'm an anomaly..."

It was true. During the weeks she had been here, Hana learned that every person who came into this strange realm had some sort of huge regret that was unresolved at the time of their death, a regret they had to resolve here if they were to "move on". But not her.

Hana Sugimoto led an ordinary, horribly uneventful life in a small, homely Japanese town near the coastline...until the tsunami hit. She never left anything unresolved in her life; she had no idealistic expectations of the future, no desires that went unfulfilled, no relationships that needed mending. In fact, the last thing she did before disappearing into the water, she realized, was hold on to a young child the entire time and hand him off safely to a rescue helicopter.

Hana couldn't even begin to imagine what room there was for any unresolved regrets. The only reason she was in the Afterlife was because she had somehow suffered a head injury right before her death, which affected her memories and was thus a good enough qualification to be placed there, apparently.

"That's not true, Sugimoto," Otonashi said, his smile a small one, yet one of understanding. "Everyone's here for a reason. No matter how or why you got here, there's still a reason. It's just like how everyone on Earth lives for a reason."

Hana looked at him defiantly. "Well, I guess I just haven't found that reason yet!"

"I doubt it." The redhead's smile widened a little. "I understand you're a little afraid to move on, Sugimoto. I mean, who knows what happens after this stage? But you can't stay here forever, because there's no such thing as forever. At some point, you'll have to let go and face the unknown, for the sake of your dignity."

The girl's eyes narrowed with a hint of anger, as she suddenly found the hole in Otonashi's logic. "What about you, Otonashi-senpai?"

Otonashi looked legitimately confused. "What about me?"

"Why haven't _you_ moved on with the others?!"

His reply was automatic. "It's just like what you've been seeing ever since you arrived here. I'm here to help people move on, no matter how much they don't want the help." He blinked slowly. "That's my reason for being here. My sole purpose."

Hana looked away again. Sure, she knew the redhead had an almost instinctive compulsion to help all those in need. But she also knew his statement wasn't completely true. Something else kept him rooted to the Afterlife, whether it be an unresolved regret...or an unknown reason to stay...

After all, his voice had a very small hint of strain to it, so small it was almost unnoticeable. But after spending her days trying to get to know him, she caught on to it. And she noticed his voice always _did_ have that strain to it.

Hana then flashed back to the two times she had been inside his private office. The first time was during an SSS operation and her presence there was only for a couple of minutes, while the second visit was longer and she had been invited in with Otonashi's consent. She remembered the photos carefully pinned on the board, of teenagers she didn't know... She remembered the vase of beautiful sunflowers, all healthy and obviously cared for with love, warmth, and compassion...

Bravely, and with a sense of ultimatum, Hana sat down next to the redhead and said, "That's not true."

The boy looked at her, not with an affronted look, or a flustered one. In fact, he seemed legitimately calm, as if he had been _expecting_ her to make that statement.

"Is it now?" he asked, sounding slightly amused.

"Not all of it." Hana narrowed her eyes determinedly. "There's something else keeping you here! I know there is!"

She expected Otonashi to deflect, or defend his position, or perhaps give her the cold shoulder for making such an outlandish assumption. Instead, he just stared back towards the trees, looking utterly relaxed and composed. He didn't look like someone who had been caught in a bold-faced lie.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked calmly.

"I-It's like y-you said!" Hana exclaimed, flustered at the boy's casual reaction to her trying to dig into his personal life. "E-Everyone's here for a reason!"

"And your reason for being here is to, what, pry into someone else's life?" Otonashi smiled teasingly without even looking. "Is that what you're trying to get at, Sugimoto?"

The girl blushed even more. "N-N-No! No-Not at all!" She started fidgeting with her fingers as she tried to process her own feelings and motivations. "I-I just... I just thought I'd, you know...return the favor..."

The redhead looked at her again. "Is that so...?"

Hana closed her eyes and held them shut tightly. "How could I not?! You're so mysterious and yet so cool! Not to mention helpful and compassionate and determined and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down there..."

"It's true, though..."

Otonashi smirked teasingly. "Heh. Says the girl who emptied an entire minigun and annihilated a dozen classrooms trying to take me out."

"TH-TH-THAT WAS MY FIRST SSS OPERATION!" Hana then settled down, though her blush was still present, and as bright as ever. "A-And I didn't know much about you back then..."

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "And you say you've learned more about me since then?"

"...N-Not re-really..."

"...So you wish to learn more about me."

"I-I've always wanted to! After all, I... I..."

Hana's voice trailed off, and the two teenagers remained silent for a very long time. Otonashi looked away and refocused on the trees, unsure of what to say next. Hana opened her eyes, and she was now gazing downward at the stairs again, her expression soft. She honestly didn't know if this conversation was going the way she wanted it. After all, she wanted to have it for some time...and yet, she never did take the time to plan the whole thing out. Not that she was surprised. Even in life, she had a bad habit of doing that. Heh, perhaps that was the regret she had left unresolved.

Then, Hana followed the redhead's gaze into the trees. She wondered why he was always staring off at that direction now...but perhaps that was never his intention each time...

"I'm just like you."

Hana looked at Otonashi. He was still staring off into the distance, as if he was seeing something else there.

"Come again?" she asked.

"I'm like you, Sugimoto." The redhead finally looked at her. "Under normal circumstances, I shouldn't be here. I died saving others. I died making up for a failure I had to suffer for during the last years of my life. I should never have gone here. But nevertheless, I did end up here, not knowing how I got here and why I got here. I could only remember my name." He smiled warmly. "I wouldn't call ourselves anomalies, Sugimoto. Fate brought us here."

"Fate...?"

"Yes." Otonashi looked towards the sunset, and the smile on his face was so genuine, so caring, so..._loving_...? "That's what I would explain this whole thing as."

At that moment, Hana remembered the pictures, the vase of sunflowers, the care and love that seemed to radiate from them.

"What was her name?" she asked.

Otonashi didn't answer for a few seconds, but he finally said, "Kanade."

Hana looked down the stairs with a slightly glum expression. "I see..."

"She was so beautiful. Hair like the clouds, eyes as golden as sunflowers, a face of innocence... I loved her so much. She helped me rediscover myself, rediscover my purpose, find something else beyond that..."

The redhead paused, and Hana looked at him with concern. His expression had gotten stiff, and he was clutching at his knees as if a stabbing pain had suddenly gone through his body. For a moment, she feared he would suddenly have an emotional breakdown and she would be stuck trying to console him for the rest of the day. Fortunately, Otonashi seemed to win the fight against his better emotions, and he looked at her with another smile.

"But she's gone now," he finished. Then, he stared deeply into Hana's eyes, making her blush. "Why do you care about me and Kanade anyway, Sugimoto? I thought you had a thing for me?"

Unsurprisingly, Hana's face became as red as Otonashi's hair, and her eyes widened comically until they became the size of saucers.

"W-Wh-Wh-Who s-said I had a th-th-_thing_ f-for you, O-Otonashi-se-sen-senpai?!" she exclaimed. "I-I mean, i-it-it's l-like I s-s-said, y-y-you're s-so m-mys-mysterious a-a-and-"

"And I said slow down there." Otonashi patted Hana's shoulder, slowly and with a quality almost reminiscent of a caress. The girl quickly calmed down like a placated puppy. Smiling, he spoke again, his voice just as slow and caressing. "There you go. Now, just slowly pour your heart out."

Hana's lower lip trembled, but she didn't hold back. There was no use hiding it from Otonashi anymore. She was the one caught in a bold-faced lie now. And yet, her true emotions were hurting her very soul.

"I like you, Otonashi-senpai..." she said, each word eating away at her. "I really, _really_ do." She looked down at the ground. "In fact, I...I love you! I always have, ever since we first met! I didn't know it at the time, but that's the truth! I...I..." Tears started to well up in the corners of her eyes. "I can never have you now... Your heart... It...It belongs to..._someone else_..."

Now, it was Otonashi's expression that softened. "I'm sorry, Sugimoto... I really am..."

"Of course you are." Hana sniffled and wiped away her eyes, then smiled sadly. "It's...It's so funny, Otonashi-senpai. I come to this place with no regrets, only to fall in love with you and know you're already taken." She chuckled hollowly. "I...I guess you could call that fate."

Otonashi patted her shoulder again, but as a friend this time. "But you never know, Sugimoto. After all, fate works out in the most mysterious ways."

"I guess." Then, Hana's mind flashed back to the sunflowers again. "Eyes as golden as sunflowers, huh...?"

"Yeah..." The redhead smiled with reminiscence. "She truly was breathtaking. You should've seen her, Sugimoto. You two would've been the best of friends..."

Hana looked at the only boy she ever loved with realization and finality. She now knew all about the inner demon that was torturing his soul, and it provided her with a whole new perspective of him. This girl, Kanade Tachibana, had helped him find the true meaning behind his existence again. It sounded a lot like what he had been doing for her and the SSS. She sounded like someone Hana could never hope to be, no matter how hard she tried.

Only now, this girl, Kanade, was taken from him when she chose to move on, likely when Otonashi had already realized his feelings for her. And now, he was stuck here for perhaps all of eternity, providing the same help she gave him to others who passed through the Afterlife...

It all sounded so tragic.

Hana's expression softened. "But she's gone...and you can't follow her..." she replied sadly.

"Don't say it like that, Sugimoto. Believe it or not, her not being here isn't the end of the world for me."

The girl's eyes narrowed with suspicion, as she remembered the fleeting look of pain that flashed across Otonashi's face a few moments ago. "You say all of that, Otonashi-senpai," she said, "but I can see it in your face!" She grabbed his sleeve and held on to it tightly. "You miss her terribly! You're...You're _dying_!"

Otonashi smiled and chuckled; though his tone meant to sound humorous, his voice sounded almost hollow instead. "If I'm dying, then I'd just come back to life again."

Hana could feel her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach. She couldn't believe Otonashi was taking this in stride! Otonashi, always the helpful one, with a kind and warm smile that made one feel as if everything was already going to be alright... She couldn't bear to see him like this! She just couldn't! Not after what he had done for her and the others...

She understood her own feelings for him. But now that she knew about Otonashi's feelings for Kanade, Hana realized that her chance with him was gone, never meant to be. His love for Kanade was bigger than her love for him...simply beyond her comprehension...

And yet, it was the root of all the pain she had always sensed from him.

"Maybe you can break that cycle!" she blurted out.

Otonashi looked at her. "Come again...?"

"M-M-Maybe you have a chance to go after her, Otonashi-senpai!"

The redhead scoffed. "And how do you propose I do that, Sugimoto? I have no regrets that need resolving, remember?"

"M-Maybe you didn't when you came here, but..." Things started to fall into place for Hana, and she slowly began to realize what she needed to do...for the sake of the boy she loved. "M-Maybe...n-now you do..."

Otonashi's eyes widened slightly. "What're you talking about...?"

Hana looked down at the ground yet again. "Otonashi-senpai...you've been here for a long time, finding closure for others as they pass through here. Now, it's time for you to find closure for yourself, senpai." She looked back at him determinedly. "It's time for you to stop! It's time for you to move on as well!"

Now the redhead's eyes were bulging in disbelief. "B-But...h-how?! I...I don't have any-!"

"You never got to have a proper relationship with Kanade, like you always wanted!" Hana interrupted. "That's the regret you now have!" Her vision became blurry, but she didn't hold back as she grabbed Otonashi's hands. "Go follow her, senpai! Find her and be together with her!"

"But...what if it doesn't-?"

"It'll work, Otonashi-senpai! It has to! Just think all about the life you'll have with Kanade!" Her voice broke a little at the last few words, but she pressed on. "Just think hard. Be confident that you'll find her."

"But...But..." Otonashi glanced at the school, a longing look on his face. "What about all the people that'll pass through here? They're gonna need someone to guide them, help them, assure them that everything's gonna be okay... I can't just leave that responsibility behind..."

Without a moment of hesitation, Hana replied, "Then I'll take over!"

Otonashi looked at her with astonishment. "What?! Sugimoto!"

"I'll take over where you left off!" At that moment, Hana realized she was crying, but she wiped her eyes and gave him her most confident grin. "Don't worry, senpai! You can count on me!"

The redheaded president continued to look back at Hana with absolute shock at her sudden proposal. She could tell he was thinking over all of his options. But she knew he had to agree. He just had to! After all, he couldn't keep doing this forever. Surely he was missing Kanade and her company so badly, right?!

Finally, he stuttered out, "I... I... _I_..."

Otonashi looked back at the school, and his eyes were shimmering. Hana could tell he was now reminiscing about all the good and bad times he had in that place. But she didn't blame him for that reaction; after all, she already considered the school her new home at this point.

Not to mention all the fear he was having about what would happen next.

"I don't know if I'll be able to find her..." Otonashi finally completed.

"Just believe, and you will, Otonashi-senpai!" Hana exclaimed encouragingly. "Otonashi-senpai, you have to be happy too, and you won't find that happiness here, that's for sure!"

"But...what about you...?"

"Don't worry about me, senpai! Trust me, I won't let you down!"

It was silent between the two teenagers for what seemed like a very long time. At this point, the sunset was almost complete, and stars started to fill the sky. The only sound between them seemed to be ragged breathing. Finally, after an eternity of consideration, the ragged breathing subsided, and Otonashi struggled for a little bit...

But then, he cracked a smile.

"Thank you...Hana..."

Hana's eyes widened, for this was the first time Otonashi called her by her first name...and very likely the last.

"You're welcome, senpai," she replied, smiling sadly.

Then, to her surprise, he hugged her. It was an embrace of gentleness, warmth, and love. Hana had never felt anything like this before in the Afterlife.

He said, "Thank you...for caring about me..."

"You're...You're welcome... Now..." She reluctantly let go of her crush. "Go find her. Find Kanade!"

Otonashi's smile widened. For once, the redheaded teenager truly looked at peace. It was the first time Hana saw that kind of look from him ever since they met. It was a sight she wanted to ingrain into her mind, so she could reflect upon it for the rest of her existence here.

"I'm so glad that we had the chance to meet," the boy continued, his voice serene.

"Well...I guess it's called fate."

Otonashi chuckled. "Yeah...I suppose it is..." He looked towards the sunset and breathed out a soft sigh of immense relief. "The sunset's so beautiful today..."

Hana followed his gaze and smiled at the beautiful sight. "It sure is, senpai..."

...

...

...

...

...

"Senpai...?"

Hana looked back at Otonashi, only to see nothing but empty space there. His sigh of relief was still mingling in the air, forming some sort of comforting medley. The Sun had finally disappeared into the horizon, and the Moon and the stars shone brightly in the night sky, illuminating the school grounds with fascinatingly pale light.

Hana gasped softly, as her mind started to come to terms with the horrible realization that she was now all alone in this godforsaken school. No Otonashi, no Kenji, no SSS...no one but her and those damn NPCs.

She collapsed to her knees, as her mind started to spin with a variety of emotions. Fear, anxiety, loneliness, uncertainty, even a little anger at this stunning development...

But most of all...love. Love, for the boy who selflessly guided her, who taught her everything about life that she once took for granted, who was always out of her reach...

"S-_Senpai_..." Tears returned to her eyes, and this time, there was no holding them back. She started to weep quietly at first, and then the weeping turned into outright sobbing, and then her emotions exploded and she hollered out to the starry sky, **"I LOVE YOU, SENPAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIII!"**

Then, she was reduced to a sobbing mess. And who could blame her? After all, she was, and still is, an ordinary girl caught up in something that was totally beyond her understanding, or that of anyone's. Now, she had to bear the weight of a responsibility that she spontaneously took on because she pitied her schoolgirl crush.

Or was it because of something sinister and selfish...?

** _"Everyone's here for a reason. No matter how or why you got here, there's still a reason. It's just like how everyone on Earth lives for a reason."_ **

Upon remembering Otonashi's words, Hana stopped crying and clenched her fists. Then, she stood up and looked towards the school, a look of newfound determination on her face.

It wasn't out of pity or selfishness when she took that responsibility. It was because of fate.

_"I promise you, Otonashi-senpai,"_ she thought. _"I'll do what you did for me, and what Kanade did for you. I'll help others resolve the regrets that anchor them in the plane between life and death! I'll help them find the closure they deserved! And I _will _help them pass on! I won't let you down, senpai!"_

The stars continued to twinkle brightly in the sky, as if they were the dewdrops of human tears.

* * *

**Ba-dump...**

**Ba-dump...**

**Ba-dump...**

_ **"Mommy?"** _

_ **"Yes, Arata-kun, dear?"** _

_ **"Is it true that butterflies carry the souls of the dead?"** _

_ **"Well, wherever did you hear that, Arata-kun?"** _

_ **"Someone in school said that."** _

_ **"Well, they're correct, my dear. My mother once told me the exact same thing. For a long time, it has been believed that butterflies carry the souls of the dead. Heh heh heh. You know, my mother also told me that if you follow a butterfly, you'll eventually solve a really big problem in your life. Or m** _ ** _aybe even some big mystery in life._ ** _ **"** _

** _"Really?"_ **

** _"Yeah. But I've never tried it out."_ **

** _"Wow..."_ **

** _"I know. Amazing, huh? Maybe you should try it out, Arata-kun. See what happens if you get far enough."_ **

**Ba-dump...b** **a-dump...b** **a-dump...**

"Oh, what was the point? ...It's just some stupid traditional belief from the days of old. Nothing that would be of any use to me..."

**Ba-dump...b** **a-dump...b** **a-dump...**

_ **"Don't you get it, man? Don't stop. Your answer's nearby. Go find her."** _

"Damn it. Goddamn it all."

_ **"You have to find her."** _

"No."

_ **"Find Kanade."** _

"_No_."

_ **"Go!"** _

...

"Alright. Alright. Whatever you say..."

**Ba-dump...b** **a-dump...b** **a-dump...**

_Hm-hmm-hm-hmmmmm-hmmm-hm-hmmmmm-hm-hm-hm-hmm..._

** _"That sound..."_ **

**Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump...**

_Hmm-hm-hmmmm-hm-hm-hmm-hmmmm-hm-hmmm..._

** _"That voice..."_ **

**Ba-dump-ba-dump-ba-dump!**

_"Wait a minute."_

"Hm-hm-hm-hmmm-hmm-hm-hm-hm-hmm-hmm..."

_ **Ba-dump-ba-dump-ba-dump-ba-dump-ba-dump!** _

_ **"It's her..."** _

"Hey. Long time, no see."

_ **"I finally found you...** _ **Kanade** _ **."** _

* * *

**NEXT ON "THE WINGS OF AN ANGEL"**

**Otonashi: ** **KANADEEEEEEEEEE!**

**Igarashi:** What do you have planned now, you egotistical bastard...?

**Kimiko:** Please don't hurt them! _Please_! I'll do _anything_...

**Chouko:** This is MY life!

**Tyler Kendall:** Time to roll out, y'all!

**C:** Prepare to face the might of the shinai...

**Takahashi:** Why? Why me? What'd I do to deserve this...this...?

**Sadahiro:** Soon, the entire country will regain the pride it once lost!

**Fuuta:** Perhaps this is more than just coincidence. Perhaps this is something even bigger than all of us...

**Fujimaki:** Surprised, kid? Bet you didn't see that one coming.

**Naotatsu:** _I_ wrote that...

**Takeyama:** Never underestimate me...for I am Christ.

**Yumie:** ONII-CHAN, NOOOOO!

**Unknown:** You are all just puppets dangling from strings. You'll fall back into place soon enough.

**Kanade:** Please...don't forget us...

_ **Moving on to the next beat** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The preceding preview is not meant for the next chapter of this story, but for the remaining chapters in general. Make what you will of the snippets of dialogue I just shared to you guys.
> 
> Anyway, what was the purpose of this interlude chapter, you ask? Well, it was to bridge the events of the epilogue seen at the end of Episode 13, and the "Another Epilogue" short released with the "Angel Beats!" DVD. I was puzzled by the contradicting information presented by both of these shorts (namely, in regards to Otonashi's status), and thus I sought to write a scenario that linked both of them together in terms of anime canon.
> 
> Hana Sugimoto is an OC I wrote specifically for the interlude, and she is not important to the main story in any way. As for Kenji, the boy mentioned a few times as the new SSS leader, he's actually a canon character; namely, he's the blond, red-eyed boy you see in the "Another Epilogue" short. Basically, he founded a new SSS, tried to lead a rebellion against Otonashi, and wound up moving on after having a series of misadventures. In other words, a genderbent version of the "Angel Beats!" anime preceded this interlude: Hana filled Otonashi's role, Otonashi filled Kanade's, and Kenji filled Yuri's.
> 
> Makes you wonder if I'm going to write a fic about that, huh? Well...maybe. One day. We'll see about that.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this overdue and highly anticipated chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	21. Lost and Found, Part 2 of 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 19: LOST AND FOUND, PART 2 OF 3**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

Takeyama -_ Touya Hamada_

Fujimaki - _Fuyuhiko Ezakiya_

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters**

_ **BANG!** _

Otonashi's eyes widened in absolute horror. At first, he couldn't believe it, what he was seeing.

Then, he let out a loud scream of utter rage, just as he fired his gun wildly and unprofessionally at Sadahiro. Dodging the bullets, Sadahiro threw his empty FN FAL at Otonashi's direction, forcing the teenage boy to stop firing and jump out of the way. This allowed the businessman to reach the secret safe and pull out another firearm: a Saiga-12 shotgun with a drum magazine.

"Oh, sh-" Otonashi began as he tried to aim his gun.

Sadahiro fired one shot, and Otonashi felt something graze his shoulder, cutting across his skin like a red-hot knife. But he ignored the pain and tried to fire his gun again, only to find that he was out of ammunition. Thinking quickly, the boy moved around randomly to try and avoid the multiple shotgun pellets that were now coming his way.

Sadahiro fired uninterrupted at Otonashi for five seconds, all the while quickly and tactically moving towards the bay of elevators. Once he reached the bay, he stopped firing, allowing Otonashi to run up to the safe. Inside, he found a variety of firearms, magazines, and ammunition clips. The redhead quickly grabbed a magazine that was compatible to his gun, loaded it, and then ran over to the bay. As he moved, hate was now the only thing in Otonashi's mind.

_"I'll kill you!"_ he screamed in his thoughts. _"I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!"_

Unfortunately, once he reached the bay, Otonashi saw a pair of elevator doors closing. Screaming, he fired several times into the doors, even though he realized Sadahiro may have already taken shelter in a safe corner. When he heard the elevator make its descent, Otonashi ran back to Igarashi's fallen body.

"_Igarashi_!" he cried as he saw the blood leaking from the sergeant's stomach. "Oh my God, Igarashi!"

"He got me..." Igarashi groaned weakly. There was also a little bit of blood leaking down his forehead; Otonashi assumed the sergeant hit his head during the fall and suffered a cut.

"R-Relax. I-It's just a g-g-gut wound. I-I got you..."

Otonashi dragged the sergeant and propped him up against what remained of the luxury sofa. Then, he removed his jacket, wrapped it around Igarashi's abdomen, and tied it tightly, making sure to focus most of the fabric on the gunshot wound.

"There you go, Igarashi," he said. "Alright, can you stand up?"

"I...I think..."

"Alright, good. Now, come on, let's go-"

"No, leave me here," Igarashi rasped out. "I'll..." He winced a little. "I'll call it in..." The sergeant weakly pulled out his cellphone...only to realize that it had stopped another bullet from penetrating his pelvis. "Oh, damn..."

"That jacket's not gonna be enough to stop the bleeding! We need to get you to a medical professional quickly!" At that moment, Otonashi heard approaching police sirens and sighed with immense relief. "Oh, good. The cavalry's arrived. Come on, Igarashi, I'll take you to them-"

"_Leave me here_," Igarashi instructed harshly. "I'm just...going to..." He coughed. "Slow you d-"

"I don't give a damn! I'm telling you, Igarashi, I'm not leaving your side until I get you to a medic!"

The sergeant laughed a little. "Since...when did you..._care_...?"

"Since the time _you_ never gave up on me. NOW COME ON!"

Otonashi slung Igarashi's left arm over his neck and across his shoulders. Then, exerting all of the strength he could muster, he lifted the sergeant to his feet, with the latter clutching the jacket-covered gunshot wound.

"Agh, agh!" Igarashi grunted, his wound aggravated.

"Are you okay?!" exclaimed Otonashi.

"Yeah...sorry..."

And with that, the two limped towards the bay of elevators. All the while, Igarashi eyed the redheaded teenage boy before him, swearing in his mind that there was something awfully _different_ about Arata Takahashi...and yet so familiar...

* * *

"Why the hell are we bringing _him_ with us?"

Fuuta glared hatefully at Fuyuhiko Ezakiya, who was duct-taped to a swivel chair and currently giving his captors an almost comical look of dissatisfaction. All the while, Hasumi and Noriya were keeping a close eye on the insane teenager, as the entire group stood inside an elevator that was going up to the penthouse. Every one of them, sans Fuyuhiko, was now wielding a weapon, most of them stolen from the cultists they defeated earlier. Chouko had her Hand Sonic blades, Fuuta had his Heckler & Koch USP pistols, Noriya had his machete, Hasumi was holding a .45-caliber Colt M1911A1, Masako was holding a 9mm FN FNX-9, and Hitomi and Saori were each holding a 9mm Glock 26.

"Leverage against my f-fa-father," Chouko replied.

"What makes you think he'll give up for this guy? You heard what he said! He started this mad cult and _knows_ their beliefs are just full of crap!"

"Mmf-mmph-mmf," Fuyuhiko mumbled out, just before Noriya slapped him in the head.

"Shut it," the purple-haired boy snarled viciously.

"Well," said Chouko, her fists clenched, "we gotta try..."

An awkward silence then fell upon the group. There wasn't even any tonally-jarring elevator music to lighten the mood just a little. Chouko continued to clench her fists and keep her fears at bay; she didn't want to think too much about her eventual confrontation with her own father...

Finally, Masako spoke up. "You know, your emergency elevator sounds pretty useless."

"Come again?" Fuuta asked.

"You say it's an emergency elevator that goes to the top floor only, yet it can also be summoned to any floor for a pickup...just like any other elevator..." Masako blinked. "Sounds pretty contradictory, if you ask me."

"Yes, I have no idea what Father was thinking when he thought this was a good idea," Chouko deadpanned.

"Whoever designed that elevator must've been either pretty stupid or watching too many anime," Noriya remarked.

"Mmm-mmph," Fuyuhiko replied, the teenager nodding his head in agreement.

Noriya then hit the other boy's head lightly with the butt of his machete.

"Hey. I told you to shut it."

* * *

It took a few minutes for the elevator to finally reach the penthouse. Once the bell rang to signal their arrival, everyone readied their weapons. Then, the doors opened, and the group quickly rushed out of the elevator, with Hasumi dragging Fuyuhiko along in the chair.

"Takahashi?!" Chouko called desperately.

She examined the scene before her. Her father's large office, once tidy and organized, now looked as if vandals had their way with it. The reinforced windows were cracked all over, the expensive furniture was torn up, one luxury sofa was in absolute tatters, and there was a variety of items strewn across the floor. Had today been an absolutely normal day, her father would've had a fit like no other upon seeing his office in such a chaotic state.

And then, Chouko spotted the small pool of blood next to the destroyed sofa.

"Oh, my God!" Hasumi exclaimed, noticing the blood as well.

"Y-You don't think that's-" began Masako.

"It can't be!" Chouko exclaimed, cutting the brown-haired girl off. "It-It just _can't_ be!"

"Well, there's no one here," replied Fuuta, looking around the office. "So everything's still on the table. Let's not assume the worst just yet."

At that moment, Hasumi spotted something gleaming, lying next to the blood. She cautiously stepped forward to verify what it was, and then picked it up for the others to see.

"Look, guys..." she said. "It's Igarashi-san's gun..."

"So he's been here," Fuuta concluded.

"But...why'd he leave it there...?" Noriya asked.

"Whatever the reason," replied Chouko, "he obviously interfered in F-Father's business. It must be why this office now looks like such a pigsty."

"Hopefully it's a good sign about Takahashi's condition..." remarked Fuuta, just as Hasumi dropped the revolver back on the floor.

Seconds later, Fuuta spotted a large, polished wooden table, which held a variety of items, most notably a black laptop bearing the Hashimoto Communications logo. Immediately assuming it was Sadahiro's desk, he ran up to the chair, sat down, put both of his guns beside the laptop, and turned it on.

"Uh, what're you doing...?" Saori asked, tilting her head with curiosity.

"Checking this laptop. Who knows what kind of information we'll find on here?"

"Whoa," Noriya replied, utterly astounded by the turn of events. "I feel like we're in a spy thriller or something! This is totally _badass_!"

"This _isn't_ badass, man. _Not at all_."

As soon as the laptop turned on, Fuuta growled and angrily slammed his fist down on the table.

"DAMN!" he snapped. "It's password-protected!" He looked at Chouko, who was still staring at the pool of blood. "Hey, Chouko, d'you know your father's password?"

"No..." she replied distantly.

"Ah, damn..." Fuuta turned the computer off, unplugged it, and tucked it underneath his armpit. "We gotta take this to someone who knows computers!" He then looked at Masako, Hitomi, and Saori. "Hey, you three!"

"Y-Yeah?" Hitomi replied.

The boy pointed at the various files on Sadahiro's desk. "Take as many of those as you can."

"W-We're taking _all of those_?" Masako asked in bewilderment.

"We gotta know as much as we can about the cult and their next move. Now, come on, move, move!"

Hitomi and Saori immediately put their guns away in their pockets and started grabbing any of the files that were in sight. As for Masako, she lowered her head and sighed with defeat.

"I can't believe I'm taking orders from a butler. What's next...?"

Nevertheless, she joined Hitomi and Saori. Meanwhile, Hasumi walked further into the office's living room and spotted the open gun safe.

"Hey, guys!" she called. "Look at this!"

Chouko and Fuuta ran over to her and saw the wide variety of firearms inside the secret compartment. For some reason, all three teens could identify each and every one of their makes and models.

"I've been in this office for business ever since I was five..." Chouko said with disbelief. "I...I can't believe F-Fa-Father's been stockpiling weapons here..."

"You couldn't have _known_, Chouko..." replied Fuuta consolingly.

"Wait a minute," Noriya suddenly said, as he kept a hand on the chair Fuyuhiko was still duct-taped to. "You've been in this office since you were _five_? All for this _business_?" He stifled a laugh. "_Hello_, therapy..."

"Hey, shut the hell up, man!"

"Alright!" Masako announced. "We've got the files and all that other stuff!"

"Good!" At that moment, Fuuta heard the police sirens directly outside the building. "Come on, let's go."

"B-But what about Takahashi?!" asked Chouko.

"We're not gonna find him here, that's for sure! Look, if Igarashi was here and he left his gun here, then that means he had to have saved Takahashi!"

"Or he probably got captured as well..." Masako replied pessimistically.

"Look, we don't know that! Either way, our next move now is figuring out what the cult has planned next! Hashimoto-san said it'd be big, and that definitely can't be good." Fuuta stared hatefully at Fuyuhiko, who gave him a smug look. "If only this _bastard_ did the right thing and spilled the beans..."

"Mmph-mmph," Fuyuhiko replied tauntingly.

Predictably, Noriya held up his machete, intending to strike the other teen with the butt of it. However, when Fuyuhiko flinched, Noriya grinned and chuckled sadistically.

"Hahaha, just kiddin'," he said.

Fuyuhiko blinked hesitantly for a moment, unsure if Noriya was being truthful or not. When a few seconds passed, he took the time to exhale in relief.

That was when Noriya slapped him again.

"Jeez, Noriya," Hasumi said sternly. "Lay off on him! Just because a machete doesn't mean you're a big badass."

"Alright, alright! And by the way, it's not Noriya, it's Noda."

...

Masako blinked. "Say what?" she asked.

Noriya blinked as well. "Wait, what?"

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a monotonous, robotic voice.

_ **"Attention all Hashimoto Communications employees. ** _ _ **The complex has been breached by an external threat and is now under a code-red lockdown. To minimize the enemy's mobility as much as possible, all transportation services like elevators and escalators have been deactivated as of now. Remember all evacuation procedures and remain calm."** _

* * *

Otonashi's eyes widened when the elevator doors opened and didn't reveal the lobby like he expected. Instead, he and Igarashi had been taken to what appeared to be an underground parking garage. He glared at the set of buttons and realized that he had unknowingly pressed the button that would take the elevator to the underground level.

_**"Attention all Hashimoto Communications employees,"**_ a monotonous voice blared loudly through an intercom, echoing throughout the garage. _**"The complex has been breached by an external threat and is now under a code-red lockdown. To minimize the enemy's mobility as much as possible, all transportation services like elevators and escalators have been deactivated as of now. Remember all evacuation procedures and remain calm."**_

Otonashi's eyes widened again in surprise at this revelation. He pressed a button that would take him and Igarashi to the lobby where the police were most likely at, but nothing seemed to work anymore.

"Damn," Otonashi growled under his breath. He then proceeded to half-drag Igarashi into the parking garage. "Come on, Igarashi, move for me. That's it, there you go..."

The police sergeant tried his best to keep up with the redhead's pace, but he kept stumbling in his step. A trail of blood droplets was being left behind in his wake.

"Ta...Takahashi..." Igarashi groaned as he clutched at his abdomen wound more tightly.

"Hey, hey! Don't give me any crap about you slowing me down! I'm _not_ gonna leave you behind and save myself! You're gonna make it, Igarashi! Just hold on!"

Suddenly, Otonashi and Igarashi saw a small group of men rushing out of another door at the far end of the garage. All of them were wearing hooded robes of different colors and wielding assault rifles; some of them were also carrying silver metal boxes. Otonashi pulled his gun out using his free hand and moved himself and Igarashi behind a concrete pillar. In the process, Igarashi loudly groaned out in pain, the abrupt movements aggravating his gunshot wound even more.

"Quiet!" Otonashi exclaimed in a hushed voice.

Fortunately, none of the armed men heard them. Otonashi peeked his head out to observe their movements, and he saw them congregating upon a line of conspicuous black vans. Some of the men opened up the rear doors, whereupon others started stuffing the weapons and silver boxes inside.

"What's the word from the boss, sir?" one of the men asked. Otonashi noticed he was talking to a man wearing a golden robe and a necklace of a (Otonashi winced at the sight of it) dead rabbit.

"That police sergeant is onto us," the superior replied. "We also just received word that his daughter and the maid's son have both broken free somehow."

For some reason, Otonashi let out a heavy sigh of relief. It seemed as if this Chouko Hashimoto person had managed to escape whatever danger she was in. But then, a sudden urgency swept over his relief and drowned it out, and the boy concluded that he still needed to find her...for some reason... Maybe she was still in danger...?

"That doesn't sound good," another one of the armed men remarked.

"Damn right it isn't," replied the man wearing the golden robe. "We were so goddamn close to enacting our plan, but then, just when we're about to take the final step to glory, it all just goes down the drain!" Then, the man briefly fell silent and took a deep breath. "No matter. It's just a minor setback in a major operation. We can recover from this."

"After all, we have backup plans to our backup plans," the first man said.

"That's correct. That is _quite_ correct." The man sneered and tapped his index fingers together repeatedly in a sinister fashion. "And as long as we carry out those plans without any further complications, we _will_ get what we want. And _then_ our gods will be proud of us!"

The other men cheered loudly and boisterously, and some of them even raised their rifles in the air, as if they were celebrating some sort of victory with the conclusion of an anarchic protest. But Otonashi noticed a few of them didn't sound as enthusiastic as the others. Once the cheering died down, the men stuffed the last of their items into the vans, boarded them, closed the doors behind them, turned on the engines, and drove out of their parking spaces. Otonashi and Igarashi quickly ducked behind another parked car to avoid being spotted, and when it was clear that the vans had gone out of sight, both of them emerged from their hiding spot.

"Come on, Igarashi!" Otonashi exclaimed with great urgency. "Come on! Don't give up on me now! You've got this!"

With that, the two staggered down the same path the vans took, hoping to find the same exit they would take.

* * *

Dozens of police cars surrounded the base of the Hashimoto Communications complex. Teams of police officers stood outside, ready for their next orders. A police helicopter flew overhead. Sirens blared in the air, melding into one loud, chaotic melody.

Fukuyama strapped on her ballistic vest and joined Sekine and the tactical entry team at the open doorway. As soon as she joined them, they quickly scurried through the lobby of the office building. Though she had a cold, emotionless expression on her face, her brain was racing with thoughts about Igarashi's well-being. Igarashi, the coworker she admired and looked up to the most... She couldn't bear anticipating the possibility that she would never see him again whenever she clocked in at the precinct...

She quickly cleared her thoughts once the team reached the bay of elevators. The tactical commander pressed the summon button, but it didn't light up.

"Damn," the man snapped in a hushed voice. "They must've enacted an emergency protocol that shut down everything electrical!"

_**"Attention all Hashimoto Communications employees,"**_ a monotonous voice blared loudly through an intercom. _**"The complex has been breached by an external threat and is now under a code-red lockdown. To minimize the enemy's mobility as much as possible, all transportation services like elevators and escalators have been deactivated as of now. Remember all evacuation procedures and remain calm."**_

"Well, I guess that answers that, heh heh heh..." Sekine remarked, right before his attempt at lightening the situation was relentlessly silenced by a cold, piercing stare of dissatisfaction from Fukuyama.

"We gotta take the stairs," the commander remarked sternly. "Let's go, move!"

The team immediately advanced towards the nearest stairwell, with the commander in the lead. Fukuyama stayed by the doorway to make sure all of the officers entered the stairwell, her eyes momentarily lingering on the pool of blood in the middle of the lobby.

Once the last tactical officer marched up the stairs, she followed suit, all the while thinking about Igarashi and praying to the heavens that he was safe and sound.

* * *

_ **"Attention all Hashimoto Communications employees. ** _ _ **The complex has been breached by an external threat and is now under a code-red lockdown. To minimize the enemy's mobility as much as possible, all transportation services like elevators and escalators have been deactivated as of now. Remember all evacuation procedures and remain calm."** _

"Damn, why isn't it WORKING?!"

Noriya kicked at the doors for the emergency elevator, leaving a small but noticeable dent on the metal surface. Other than that, it wouldn't respond for him. As for Hasumi, she clutched at her head with her unoccupied hand, trying to stave off the mounting stress. The atmosphere was now filled with the monotonous voice repeating the code-red lockdown announcement over and over again.

"You!" Noriya yelled at Chouko, gesturing at the silver-haired girl with his machete. "Why isn't your so-called emergency elevator working?! It was working a sec ago!"

"I don't know!" Chouko exclaimed in response. "It-It seems this new emergency lockdown also affected that elevator."

"You're kidding me!"

"F-Father most likely did not want to take any chances in case an event like this happened-"

"What is this, more anime logic?!" screamed Masako.

"The one person behind this madness has been right under your nose the whole time, and you can't even _bother_ to remember what kind of BS he implemented to hamper us?!" Noriya scowled angrily at Chouko. "Or perhaps you're covering him because he's still your-"

"He's not my father!" Chouko interrupted tearfully, her voice filled with outrage.

"You just called him 'Father' a few seconds ago!"

"H-He...He's family-"

"Obviously he never thought so," Masako replied nastily. "Didn't he want to kill you or something?"

"Hey, back off!" Fuuta shouted angrily at the brown-haired girl. "It's not her fault we're all in this mess!"

"I-I...I...He..." Chouko's mind was starting to become overwhelmed by the conflicted feelings she had towards her father. He may have been the one who started everything, who killed her mother and Junna, but still...he raised her, nurtured her, provided all her needs... No matter how twisted he was, Chouko could never argue against all that he did for her as she grew up...

"Guys, shut the hell up!" Hasumi shouted, staring directly at Noriya and Masako. "D'you have any idea how much Chouko's trying to make up for all of this?! Do you?! And this isn't some distant uncle or cousin she's fighting against! It's her _father_! What would _you_ do if you were in her shoes?!" When Noriya and Masako remained silent and looked away awkwardly, Hasumi added, "Give her a goddamn break!"

"Thank you, Hasumi," Fuuta replied in a hushed voice.

"Well, we're not making any progress if we're gonna be stuck up here," Noriya remarked bitterly. "I mean, is there any other way outta here?" He glared suspiciously at Fuyuhiko, who was fidgeting around in his chair. "I honestly don't like standing still while _that_ punk-ass is right next to me..."

"There's a set of emergency stairs," Chouko responded quietly. "It...It shouldn't be affected by the lockdown... But we're on the top floor. It's gonna take us hours to-"

"We'll take it," Fuuta interrupted quickly. "Anything will do at this point." He looked at Hitomi and Saori. "You guys have all the files, right?"

"Uh-huh..." Hitomi replied, while Saori simply nodded meekly.

"Then we're going down the stairs. Hope you guys do well in P.E. class."

"Hey, you're looking at a sprinting champ here, man," replied Noriya, who gestured to himself arrogantly.

The young butler promptly took one of his guns and crudely sheathed its barrel in his waistband. Then, he picked up the other gun, cocked it, and held it tightly in his hand.

"Alright," he said. "Let's go."

* * *

_ **"Attention all Hashimoto Communications employees. ** _ _ **The complex has been breached by an external threat and is now under a code-red lockdown. To minimize the enemy's mobility as much as possible, all transportation services like elevators and escalators have been deactivated as of now. Remember all evacuation procedures and remain calm."** _

"AGH! Careful, careful!"

Otonashi had just stopped by yet another concrete pillar in the parking garage, and quickly set Igarashi beside it, though that aggravated the sergeant's gunshot wound in the process. The redhead then looked up and saw light ahead; he could also hear sirens in the distance. The police had to be close by, he just knew it!

"Hey, hey! D'you hear that, Igarashi?" Otonashi panted out. "It's...It's help... You're gonna be okay, Igarashi... You're gonna be okay... Just hang in there, alright?!"

"Heh..." Igarashi gurgled with amusement, before he coughed out small specks of dark blood. "Jeez... Since...when did _you_ start caring about me...Arata Takahashi...?"

Otonashi looked at Igarashi. "What?"

The sergeant slowly looked at him and repeated weakly, and with pain, "Since when did you start caring about me? You _really_ gave me problems when we last saw each other..."

Otonashi wasn't sure if Igarashi meant their quick encounter in the ambulance, or something that happened before that. But he quickly disregarded that question and replied, "Just because we had problems with each other before, it doesn't mean I'm gonna leave you to die, like some roadkill on the side of a street!"

Igarashi slowly blinked. "No... There's something _more_ to that..." He narrowed his eyes with suspicion. "You suddenly know your way around guns... You hijack an ambulance and storm into this place like a reckless idiot..." Otonashi sweat-dropped at that insult. "And now...this..."

The two stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Otonashi wasn't sure if Igarashi recognized him, but there seemed to be some sort of new light blazing in the sergeant's eyes. He may have been critically injured and sprawled beside a concrete pillar like a doomed man, but his aura evoked a newfound strength that knew no bounds of pain and mortality.

"Who _are_ you...?" Igarashi asked, slowly but surely.

Otonashi blinked twice. He knew what Igarashi meant by that, but he didn't know what to say, whether he should reveal his true identity or not. Who knew what kind of repercussions he could trigger?

All of a sudden, the blood that had been trickling from the cut on Igarashi's forehead started to touch his eye, and the older man winced.

"Ah, damn it..." Igarashi cursed.

"Your forehead's bleeding. Hold on, I'll take care of it."

Thinking quickly, Otonashi took Igarashi's green tie and wrapped it around his forehead. Once he properly fastened it to the sergeant's head, the redhead took a quick look...and realized Igarashi looked just like the boy he met in the tunnel again.

"Ho-How do you feel?" Otonashi asked, pushing those random thoughts to the back of his mind. "Are you nauseated? Do you feel like you're gonna pass out?"

"I'm hanging in there. Just a little dizzy..." Igarashi blinked slowly. "Are you a doctor or something...?"

For a moment, Otonashi wondered if Igarashi was seeing the same thing as he was right now: nothing but a tunnel, illuminated by nothing more than dull, low-quality light, with a cave-in in close proximity at one side...

Before Otonashi could have a chance to respond to Igarashi's question, the two suddenly heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching. Otonashi was about to reach for his gun when Igarashi grabbed his wrist and held it as tightly as he could.

"No..." he said weakly. "They're...here to help..."

Otonashi quickly recognized Kuramoto among the police officers that were approaching. Kuramoto's eyes widened with horror at the sight of his wounded superior, and he was the first to reach the pair.

"Igarashi-sama!" he cried. "Wha-What happened?!"

"Got shot..." Igarashi replied, weakly and dryly.

"No shit, Sherlock..." a tactical officer grunted sarcastically, but he was silenced by Igarashi's stern glare.

"We gotta get you to a hospital, pronto!" Kuramoto exclaimed, his eyes trembling severely. Then, he pulled out a walkie-talkie, pressed a button, and spoke into it. "This is Kuramoto! We've found Igarashi in the southern parking garage! He's got a GSW, I repeat, he's got a GSW! We need paramedics over here on the double!"

_**"Copy that, Kuramoto,"**_ a voice replied sternly from the other end. _**"We're sending medics to your position right now. Just stay put and attend to Igarashi in whatever way you can."**_

As soon as he deactivated the walkie-talkie, Kuramoto looked at Igarashi with a look of desperation. At that moment, Otonashi couldn't help but feel bad for the officer. He clearly looked up to Igarashi and was now blaming himself for his role in these recent events, whatever that role was.

"Alright," he said, clearly struggling to remember his protocol. "Um...lie him down on his back."

Otonashi and a tactical officer did as they were told, slowly and carefully lying Igarashi down on the asphalt ground. As he did, he wondered whether he should take this opportunity to flee and resume his original mission. But he didn't want to leave Igarashi just yet, not while he was looking like this, even when he was now in someone else's care.

It didn't take long for the paramedics to arrive with a stretcher, and once they did, they were able to lift the sergeant off the ground and into said stretcher.

"Agh!" Igarashi exclaimed. "W-Watch it, you vultures!"

"Heh heh heh," Kuramoto replied nervously, as he tried to look on the bright side of things now. "Good to see you still have your sense of humor, Igarashi-sama..."

While the officers were preoccupied with loading Igarashi into the ambulance, Otonashi decided that now was his best opportunity to sneak away. Thus, he slowly began walking backwards, hoping that no one's eyes were on him...

There was one pair of eyes on him, however. It was Igarashi's. Their eyes met almost immediately, and Igarashi slowed down, but did not stop. He didn't know if Igarashi was going to tell his fellow officers about what he was doing, but the redhead wanted to communicate to him non-verbally, tell him that he wasn't going to stop until he found what he was looking for. He could only pray to the heavens that Igarashi finally understood.

He could see Igarashi purse his lips with reluctance, but to his immense relief, he said nothing further as one of the paramedics thrust a breathing apparatus over his nose and mouth. With the other officers still preoccupied, Otonashi turned around and ran back down the direction from which he came.

"HEY!" Otonashi heard Kuramoto call out. "H-_HEY_! WHERE ARE YOU G- Wha?! Ig-Igarashi-sama?! What are you doing?!"

Otonashi didn't know what Igarashi was doing now, but it allowed him to leave the parking garage without complications.

* * *

_ **"Attention all Hashimoto Communications employees. ** _ _ **The complex has been breached by an external threat and is now under a code-red lockdown. To minimize the enemy's mobility as much as possible, all transportation services like elevators and escalators have been deactivated as of now. Remember all evacuation procedures and remain calm."** _

Chouko led the way down the emergency stairs, with both of her Hand Sonic blades still out. She could hear the others right behind her, with Noriya intentionally giving Fuyuhiko a hard and bumpy ride, what with him still being duct-taped to a swiveling chair.

"Okay, like, what floor are we on now?!" exclaimed an exasperated Masako. "It's been, like, five hours and we still haven't reached the damn bottom of the building!"

"Five hours?!" Hasumi replied. "We've been at this for five _minutes_, Masako! You need to be patient! It's not like we've got a working elevator again!"

"Isn't there any way to cancel this emergency lockdown?! My feet are killing me!"

"Not that I know of..." Chouko replied guiltily.

"Well, isn't that fine and dandy!"

"Do us a favor and stop your complaining!" snapped Fuuta. "You make me wanna shoot you with every passing second!"

_ **"Attention all Hashimoto Communications employees. ** _ _ **The complex has been breached by an external threat and is now under a code-red lockdown. To minimize the enemy's mobility as much as possible, all transportation services like elevators and escalators have been deactivated as of now. Remember all evacuation procedures and remain calm."** _

"OH, SHUT UP, YOU POINTLESS AUTOMATED SYSTEM! I WANNA SHOOT YOU TOO!"

Masako shook her head and moaned, "God, being shot at has gotta be better than this!"

"THERE SHE IS!" a voice suddenly cried.

"OPEN FIRE!" another voice commanded.

"I TAKE IT BACK, I TAKE IT BACK!" Masako squealed fearfully as bullets started flying and ricocheting everywhere.

Immediately, Fuuta and Hasumi started firing their guns down the stairwell, where a small group of cultists were. As for Chouko, she allowed Kanade's instinct to overtake her own, and she quickly dashed down the stairs, her Hand Sonic blades ready.

"W-wait, what is she doing?!" one cultist exclaimed with surprise.

"Who the hell cares?!" another cultist snapped, though there was fear in his voice too. "Stop her at once!"

Before the cultists could focus all of their gunfire on Kanade, she said, "_Distortion_."

The invisible barrier enveloped Kanade, and seconds later, bullets began bouncing away from her.

"What the hell?!" one cultist shrieked, just before Kanade slashed at his legs, incapacitating him without fatally injuring him. She did the same with all the other cultists, slashing their guns in half and knocking them away in the process.

"Wow, great job, Chouko!" Fuuta exclaimed, impressed.

Chouko looked back at him. "Th-Thanks," she replied sheepishly.

"Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form," a cultist chanted suddenly, prompting the others to join in. "Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change. Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your-"

"Ass," Noriya suddenly completed.

The cultists' eyes widened in revulsion, but they continued in unison, "Great _Fū_, spread-"

"All over your mom."

The cultists gritted their teeth, and they tried to say, "And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting-"

"Hippie earthy stuff, kiss our asses, suck our-"

One of the cultist's eyes went wide even more. "Dear _Chi_-"

"Blah blah blah."

"WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP?!"

This particular cultist's latest response was what Chouko needed to hear. She stabbed his shoulder, but buried her blade only an inch deep into his flesh. This was still enough to draw out a scream from him, however.

"I know you know this whole cult is a farce," she said. "Therefore, you have an inkling on what my f-father has planned next."

"And _you_ are gonna tell us," Fuuta added.

The cultist nervously looked at his comrades, who were looking at him expectantly. He then looked back at Chouko and sneered tauntingly.

"Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth-"

_ **BANG!** _

**"_AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH_!"**

The cultist tried to reach his shot foot, but Chouko aimed her other blade between his eyes, stopping him dead in his tracks. Fuuta aimed his smoking gun at the man's forehead.

"Tell us NOW," the silver-haired girl snarled savagely.

"You...You ain't getting anything out of _me_," the cultist gurgled through a fog of pain. "I- AGH!"

Chouko had dug her blade deeper into his shoulder, just by a few centimeters. "I'd divulge all the details if I were you."

However, the man continued to sneer. "Ah, ain't you daddy's little girl? Alright, come on. Gimme more! Come on! Torture me, cut me up, flay me! Show me how serious you are! Come on! COME ON! What're you waiting for?!"

Chouko prepared to dig her blade deeper into his flesh, but then, she stopped. Being called daddy's little girl caused her to think about what she was doing: here she was, torturing a man for information. She had many things in mind to make him talk...and none of them were bloodless.

Her father had been more ruthless than she thought. Just how much ruthlessness did she have within her as well, without her knowledge...?

Chouko quickly withdrew the Hand Sonic blade and stepped backward, nearly bumping into Hasumi and Masako. The man sneered up at her.

"I knew it," he said, shaking his head. "Your father was right about you. You may have been indoctrinated by him, but you still do not have the gall to do what needs to be done."

"She may not have that gall," Fuuta snarled, "but _I_ do."

He promptly shot him in the other foot.

"And unfortunately for you, I just lost my mother at the hands of your boss." The boy gritted his teeth. "Now TALK."

"You ain't...getting anything...outta me..._bastard_..." gurgled the man, as he tried to clutch at his wounded feet.

Fuuta growled angrily and prepared to shoot him again, but Hasumi sprung forward and held his arm.

"It's not worth it!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed. "Fuuta, we're wasting our time. We have the files and the laptop; we have all we need. Right now, we gotta go!"

Fuuta stared down at the man as he sneered back up at him. Then, he slammed the butt of his pistol downward upon the man's forehead, knocking him clean out. With that done, the group of teenagers stepped over all of the unconscious bodies of the cultists and continued onward, down the steps.

"We _really_ need to find someone who'll help us with that laptop," Fuuta snarled.

"Arata mentioned knowing someone who could probably help with that," replied Chouko, her voice a little shaky. "If we find him, then he can lead us to that person."

"Well, we didn't find him in that office," Noriya said. "We didn't find him in the lobby. How can we even be sure he's still here?"

"He has to be..." The silver-haired girl placed a hand over her chest, directly over her heart. "He _has_ to be..."

"Well unfortunately, we can't work on your intuition alone," Masako deadpanned. "We gotta find him quick, otherwise we did all of this for nothing!"

"A-And worse," Saori said fearfully, "th-those c-cul-cultists n-now know wh-who w-we are!"

"We'll be running out of safe places to go before you could say 'Uncle'!" Hitomi squeaked out.

"Wait a minute!" Hasumi cried. She raised her hand and stopped the others in their tracks. "I-I hear something..."

"Wh-What is it? W-What do you hear, Hasumi-san?"

"...Footsteps..."

"_More_ cultists?!" Noriya exclaimed in exasperation. "My goodness. How much ammo do you think we'll waste before we get outta this goddamn hellhole of a place?!"

"Come on!" Fuuta called, running over towards the nearest door on the stairwell. "We gotta hide!"

He opened the door and quickly ushered the others, including the duct-taped Fuyuhiko, through the doorway. Then, he closed the door behind them, and the group hid in the corner as they heard the footsteps rush past them. Once the sounds subsided, Fuuta got out of the corner, opened the door, and led the others back down the stairwell.

* * *

"Did you hear something?" Sekine asked.

"Not really," replied one of the tactical officers. "Now come on, Officer! We can't break formation just because you think you heard a small noise!"

_ **"Attention all Hashimoto Communications employees. ** _ _ **The complex has been breached by an external threat and is now under a code-red lockdown. To minimize the enemy's mobility as much as possible, all transportation services like elevators and escalators have been deactivated as of now. Remember all evacuation procedures and remain calm."** _

"Commander," the same officer said, "do you know where that voice is coming from? I need to shoot it out-"

"Oh, come on now, Officer!" Sekine interrupted jokingly. "We can't break formation just because you're being annoyed by an automated system!"

The officer merely grumbled out a curse.

"Officers, stay silent!" the commander snapped in a hushed voice. "We don't know what kind of trouble we'll run into up here!"

Fukuyama, Sekine, and the tactical team continued up the stairwell, their guns raised and ready. It didn't take long for the team to come across the group of fallen cultists that Chouko's group had battled earlier.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" the tactical commander exclaimed, gesturing the other officers to stop. "Well, what do we have here?"

Fukuyama then took notice of all the bisected guns scattered across the stairs. She picked up the detached barrel of an FN SCAR assault rifle, closely examined it, and then carefully placed it back down on the floor. Next, she looked around and noticed all of the bullet holes adorning the walls.

"It looks like they were attacked by someone," she said.

"Or _something_," the commander said as he also examined the bisected guns. "There's no way any normal person could've been able to cut all these guns in half without being shot itself..."

"You think it could be a monster?" Sekine asked fearfully. "Gojira, perhaps?"

"Gojira's the size of a skyscraper!" another tactical officer said with frustration. "He obviously can't fit in this little stairwell! Where the hell are you getting your kaiju information from?!"

"Well, whatever attacked them, it's long gone now," concluded the commander. He glanced at four of his inferiors. "You four, secure the scene. Make sure they're-" He lightly kicked one of the cultist's bodies. "-restrained. The rest of us will continue to Hashimoto's office."

"Roger that," one of the selected officers replied.

"Alright, let's move, everyone! Go, go, go!"

Fukuyama, Sekine, and the remaining tactical officers continued upward as fast as they could. Five minutes later, they reached their intended destination and breached the room, only to find it utterly trashed and devoid of life.

"What the hell happened here...?" the commander asked, perplexed.

"This office looks like a total war-zone..." another officer commented.

"This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder by the minute..." Sekine remarked.

A shining glint caught Fukuyama's attention, and she flicked her head towards the destroyed sofa. Her amethyst eyes widened in horror at the sight of the pool of blood...and Igarashi's revolver lying right next to it. Sekine was quick to notice it as well.

"Don't tell me that's-" he began, his voice a little shaky.

"It is," Fukuyama interrupted gravely. She stepped forward and picked up the revolver, immediately taking notice of the fingerprints on its handle already. "It's...It's definitely Igarashi-sama's..."

_**"Fukuyama!"**_ Kuramoto's voice cried from the other end of Fukuyama's walkie-talkie. _**"Fukuyama, do you copy me?! I repeat, do you copy me?!"**_

Sensing the worst, the policewoman was quick to respond. "I c-co-copy, Ku-Kuramoto..."

_ **"It's Igarashi-san!"** _

Her skin paled considerably, as did Sekine's. "Did...Did you find him, Ku-Kuramoto...?" she asked.

_ **"Yeah. My team found him in the parking garage at the north- I mean, the south side. He's been shot, but he's alive. He's being taken to the hospital right now. His condition's grave, but the paramedics think he's going to make it for sure."** _

"Oh, thank God for that!" Sekine exclaimed with relief. "He _wasn't_ screwed!"

"Th-That's good to know, Kuramoto," Fukuyama said into the walkie-talkie. As she spoke, she tried her best to refrain from unprofessionally shouting out with joy. "That's...That's very good to know..."

_**"But that's not all, Fukuyama!"**_ exclaimed Kuramoto. _**"We also found Takahashi! I mean, we, uh...we did, but-"**_

"But?" Fukuyama started to sense the worst again. "What do you mean by 'but'?"

_ **"We...We lost him somehow..."** _

"What do you mean you lost him?! How the hell could you have lost him _again_?!"

For a moment, she could imagine Kuramoto flinching, and she realized she was now channeling Igarashi at the moment.

_ **"M-My apologies, Fu-Fukuyama, but w-we were t-to-too f-fo-focused on Ig-Igarashi. As for the kid, he-he just ran off! W-We think he's still inside the building! You need to be on the lookout for him, Fukuyama! ...Oh, uh...over."** _

"Southern parking garage, huh?" Sekine asked as soon as Kuramoto hung up. He glared at the pool of blood. "Assuming this blood is Igarashi-san's, how the hell did he manage to get all the way down there?"

"The lockdown was initiated as soon as we breached the lobby," replied Fukuyama. "He probably took an elevator there before everything was shut down..." She then traced the distance between the pool of blood and the bay of elevators. "But it's quite a distance from there to the nearest elevator if one loses that much blood. He definitely had help..."

"Hey," the tactical commander piped up, attracting Fukuyama and Sekine's attention. He was standing by Sadahiro's desk, scanning its surface with the barrel of his rifle. "Something tells me there was more stuff on here earlier..."

Fukuyama took notice of the power cords still plugged in. "Yeah..." she said, her investigative skills starting to kick in. "Like a laptop..."

The policewoman then looked around the office and was quick to notice the security cameras installed on several corners of the room. She pointed at one of them.

"The security footage," she said. "We need to review that. Get a crime scene unit up here. Hopefully we'll be able to figure out what exactly happened here."

"Copy that," the commander replied.

* * *

_ **"Attention all Hashimoto Communications employees. ** _ _ **The complex has been breached by an external threat and is now under a code-red lockdown. To minimize the enemy's mobility as much as possible, all transportation services like elevators and escalators have been deactivated as of now. Remember all evacuation procedures and remain calm."** _

Ignoring the repetitive automated voice, Otonashi ran as quickly as he could through a series of hallways and doorways for what seemed like an eternity. But time didn't matter to him one bit. He needed to find Chouko Hashimoto right away and ensure she was okay. He didn't know why, but hopefully, by doing so, he would figure out if-

_ **"Otonashi-senpai...it's time for you to find closure for yourself..."** _

** _"Go follow her, senpai! Find her and be together with her!"_ **

** _"It'll work, Otonashi-senpai! It has to! Just think all about the life you'll have with Kanade!"_ **

Otonashi stopped in his tracks, just as Hana Sugimoto's last words to him finally caught up to his memory.

_"Is this what's happening right now?"_ he thought. _"Is this why I've been reincarnated like this? Was it because of my last desires in the Afterlife? Were they so strong that I was somehow reincarnated into a life where I would finally meet Kanade again? Is that really even _possible_...?"_

Then, he thought about Chouko Hashimoto, and how unnaturally desperate he was to find her, despite him not knowing her one bit. After mulling over Hana's words, Otonashi started to fit all the pieces together.

_"Is that the reason why I am so drawn to her in the first place?"_ he asked in his mind._ "Because she's-?"_

The redhead's thoughts were abruptly interrupted when he burst into a room full of cubicle offices. He could hear unfamiliar voices speaking from the middle of the room, and he instantly knew they weren't cops.

"Damn, we were left behind by the main team!" one voice exclaimed with disbelief.

"Well, whose fault was _that_?" another voice asked, exasperated.

"Hey, don't blame me, man! Those were rare coins, and I needed them for my collection!"

"The final operation is almost about to begin, the boss is upset as hell, the cops are closing in on all of us, and the one thing you're concerned about is your goddamn _coin collection_?!"

Otonashi laid his head low as he stealthily sneaked from one cubicle to the next, his gun raised and ready. He still barely had any idea where he was supposed to go, but he knew for sure that Chouko Hashimoto wasn't in this office room. As he continued past the room, he could hear the voices getting closer and closer to his position.

"What're we gonna do now?" the first voice asked. "We have no way outta here now!"

"We die like the martyrs we are, idiot," the second voice replied gruffly. "There's no way in hell I'm gonna rot in a prison cell for the rest of my natural life!"

"Wait...when you say die like martyrs, you mean-"

"What the hell did you think I meant?! Don't tell me you weren't expecting an outcome like this!"

...

"Honestly, I joined you guys because I thought it'd help for a social science project-"

...

"You joined a cult of death-worshiping murderers because you needed help with a school project..."

"Hey! I misread the flyers, alright?! And now that I'm all mixed up in this, I can't even-"

At that moment, the two cultists came into view, and Otonashi froze in his tracks. The men were both wearing robes, one colored scarlet with a dark-red fire emblem, the other brown and with yellow emblems of spheres with X's at the center; both were also carrying assault rifles.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" the man wearing the scarlet robe exclaimed, aiming his FAMAS G2 at Otonashi. "What do we have here...?"

"Where the heck did _he_ come from?" the man wearing the brown robe asked.

"Who the hell cares? Maybe we can take him as a hostage! That way, you don't have to die like a martyr, since you seem so opposed to doing that-"

Otonashi started firing his gun at the two men, forcing them to take cover behind different cubicles. The teenager did the same, occasionally firing towards the direction of the cultist who was wearing the scarlet robe.

"Agh! Oh, what the hell?!" cried the cultist wearing the brown robe. "I should've stayed at home and studied..." Then, he peeked his head from the cubicle and started firing his FN F2000. "DIE, SUCKER!"

Otonashi fled from his hiding place as it was shredded by bullets. As he ran, he continued firing his handgun towards the two men. The cultists fired back with their own weapons, many of the bullets hitting nearby cubicles.

It didn't take long for Otonashi to get some distance between him and his attackers, and he took shelter behind yet another cubicle, where he reloaded his gun. Then, a glint at the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he looked towards a metal trash can nearby; he could see the reflections of the cultists as they hesitantly emerged from their hiding spots. The redhead took a couple of deep breaths.

"Okay," he said to himself. "Hopefully I don't kill them in the process-"

"_Hand Sonic_," a familiar voice interrupted, seemingly unintentionally.

Otonashi's eyes widened, and the shock of hearing those words seemed to be so great that he almost didn't hear the cultists' cries of surprise and pain. There was simply no way... He had to have been hearing things...right...?

But his heart definitely didn't think so. He jumped out of his hiding place and saw _her_, standing between the fallen, moaning bodies of the cultists, her bloodstained blades glinting from the ceiling lights. The entirety of his vision was focused on her; he didn't even see Fuuta, Hasumi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori nearby.

It had been _so long_ since he last saw her. Now, she looked even more beautiful than ever. Like...like _an angel_...

** _"Go follow her, senpai! Find her and be together with her!"_ **

"Kanade?" he asked hopefully.

The silver-haired girl looked at him, and her golden eyes widened with shock. Even they were still so beautiful...

"O-_Otonashi_...?" she replied, her voice filled with some hesitance but also with expectancy.

The two stared at each other for the longest time, both feeling as if they were now the only people left in this meager world... It was a soothing, surreal sensation that Otonashi didn't want to end.

"I can't believe it..." Kanade said, her golden eyes welling up with tears. "I...I _finally_ found you again..."

...

...

...

_ **"Attention all Hashimoto Communications employees. ** _ _ **The complex has been breached by an external threat and is now under a code-red lockdown. To minimize the enemy's mobility as much as possible, all transportation services like elevators and escalators have been deactivated as of now. Remember all evacuation procedures and remain calm."** _

"OH, SHUT THE HELL UP, WOMAN!" Noriya angrily shouted into thin air.

* * *

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus concludes the long-awaited second part of this three-parter! At long last, Otonashi and Kanade reunite! HOORAY!
> 
> *blows a party horn and throws silver-and-red cyber-confetti everywhere*
> 
> Once again, I apologize for taking so long to actually get this up. Hopefully all of the story's progress made in this chapter was worth the wait for you guys. I also hope this chapter was enjoyable as a read; I feel like most of this stuff was padding to make it seem more appealing and longer.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this late chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	22. The Winter Tomorrow, Part 3 of 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I begin, I would like to announce something about my future in "Angel Beats"-related fanfiction. For these past couple of months, I feel like I've contributed all I could to this fandom. I could tell that I've put my heart and soul into this story, probably moreso than any other story of mine in recent times, and I really doubt I could write another "Angel Beats!" fic with a quality that is equal to or greater than this. All of my creativity reserves have been used up for this fic. Thus, as of last week, I have decided that this will not only be my first "Angel Beats!" fic, but also my last. So there will be no sequel to this. No prequel. No midquel. No spin-off. No unrelated story. This will be it. It's not that I don't enjoy writing for "Angel Beats!" (quite the contrary, in fact), but given the anime's linear plot and limited material to work on, I think I have done everything I can to keep you fans entertained. I apologize if you hoped to see more from me.
> 
> This could change if "Angel Beats!" ever gets a sequel, which I now doubt will be the case. Also, if any of you remember, I did announce a crossover fic between "Angel Beats!" and "Anohana". THAT is still in the works, since it's not technically a full-on "Angel Beats!" fanfic, but I still have yet to watch "Anohana" (I have heart problems, so I will not be prepared for the ensuing drama). So, you may have to wait a little while longer for that. My apologies.
> 
> Alright, I'm done rambling. On with the story. ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 20: THE WINTER TOMORROW, PART 3 OF 3**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

Takeyama -_ Touya Hamada_

Fujimaki - _Fuyuhiko Ezakiya_

* * *

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters**

_ **"Attention all Hashimoto Communications employees. ** _ _ **The complex has been breached by an external threat and is now under a code-red lockdown. To minimize the enemy's mobility as much as possible, all transportation services like elevators and escalators have been deactivated as of now. Remember all evacuation procedures and remain calm."** _

"Kanade?" Masako repeated. "Otonashi? Those aren't your names..."

"What the hell's going on?!" exclaimed Hasumi.

Otonashi and Kanade both looked at Fuuta, Noriya, Hasumi, Masako, Hitomi, Saori, and Fuyuhiko; and seemed to realize that they were there for the first time.

"_Naoi_?" Otonashi asked incredulously. "You're here too?!"

"Naoi?" Fuuta said. "Who's Naoi? Are-Are you talking to _me_, Takahashi?"

Otonashi's heart fell. It seemed that he and Kanade were the only ones who were aware of their being reincarnated into different bodies, different lives. Everyone else had completely forgotten about the lives that they once had back in the Afterlife. Even Fujimaki, the water-fearing delinquent! Now he only knew himself as some sort of deranged, murderous teenager!

Kanade stepped forward and said, "I know this is hard to believe, everyone, but I'm not Chouko right now."

"What the hell do you mean you're not Chouko?!" exclaimed Fuuta. "Wh-What the hell's going on here?! Are you two _seriously_ pulling my leg?! 'Cause now's _definitely_ not the time-"

"Say or do something I absolutely loathe," Kanade interrupted. "Do it, now."

"The hell?! Are we really-?"

"_Now_."

Fuuta's blood ran cold at Kanade's voice, but he cleared his throat and quickly nodded with reluctant agreement. Then, he said, "As you wish..._Chou-kee_."

...

...

...

"That's it?" Kanade deadpanned. "That's all you've got for me?"

Fuuta's eyes widened in shock. "Yeah, you're _definitely_ not Chouko. B-But how's that possible?! You were responding to that name just a few minutes ago!"

"It must've been all of this." Kanade looked around her, examining the trashed room of cubicle offices. "What we were doing, it all served as stimuli for me. And when Chouko came across Otonashi, it must've been the final trigger."

"Final trigger?" Hitomi repeated, astounded. "Final trigger for what?"

"...For me to take over Chouko's body..."

...

"_Okaaaaay_..." Noriya said slowly. "This is _seriously_ getting very freaky..."

"I know what I'm talking about doesn't make sense to any of you right now," Kanade said, "but you'll all understand once we'll explain everything. But first..." The silver-haired girl looked around again, her golden eyes narrowed. "We have to get out of this place."

"We can't go out through the front lobby," Otonashi said, his voice urgent. "There's cops everywhere."

"They can't be trusted?"

"Yes, we can definitely trust them. But they're not going to believe a thing we say. And who knows what they'll do once we get back under their protection? No, we all got into this mess together, and now we're gonna get to the bottom of it together."

Kanade cracked a smile. "Always the determined optimist, huh? I almost forgot that part of you."

Otonashi smiled as well. "Well, what can I say, Kanade? It's who I am, after all."

...

_ **"Attention all Hashimoto Communications employees-"** _

The loudspeaker suddenly exploded in a hail of bullets, startling the group. Then, they glared at Masako; smoke was still leaking from the barrel of her gun.

"What?" she asked irritably. "That thing wouldn't freaking shut up."

* * *

**Nishimura Household  
Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"Me liking Takahashi. HA! Who the hell does Naotatsu think I am? A damn tsundere?!"

Twiddling her fingers, Kimiko paced around her living room, occasionally taking glances at the police officers patrolling outside her house. But her mind was preoccupied with other subjects, namely Arata Takahashi, and her conversation with Naotatsu during his visit almost an hour earlier. His teasing words nagged at her thoughts like a bothersome tick, and she kept trying her best to dismantle them with logic...and yet, she was coming up short on the logic part.

"I don't like Takahashi," she said, almost as if she was in some sort of strange recital. "I don't like Takahashi, I positively, absolutely don't. I mean, I like him, but only as a _friend_. Is a girl not allowed to like a boy as a friend? Why in the world is it that whenever a guy and a girl are close, that automatically means they're in a relationship or have feelings for one another?! This should be something the Global Awareness Club should bring up! Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!"

But Kimiko continued to pace around, a silly grin on her face and her fingers twiddling more intensely than ever. If one were to look at her right now, she wouldn't be a far cry from an insane homeless person.

"I'll show that Naotatsu," she growled. "I'll show him that Takahashi and I are friends and nothing more! And if he keeps his trap running, then I'll just demote him and have Takahashi take his place!" Her grin widened considerably as soon as she made the suggestion. "Yes, that's good, that's very good! That'll teach that blue-haired pervert to not jump to the strangest conclusions!

"Then Takahashi and I, we'll be working together on club activities more often! We'll coordinate events together! We'll lead the charge together! And then we'll go on a nice date out in the park and talk about school and the movies and watch the lake together in the lovely evening and-"

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend, Kimiko-chan."

"Oh yeah, Dad! He's very awesome! I mean, he's so nice and understanding and-" Kimiko realized for the first time that her father, Youichirou, was standing there. "I MEAN, I DON'T HAVE A BOYFRIEND!"

"You sure?" Youichirou was smirking a little. "You seem to have a lot of positive things to say about him."

"HE'S **NOT** MY BOYFRIEND, DAD! HE'S JUST A FRIEND WHO HAPPENS TO BE A BOY, THAT'S ALL!"

"You say all of that, yet you never seem to talk that way about Naotatsu-kun-"

"BECAUSE NAOTATSU'S AN IDIOT WHO DOESN'T KNOW ANY BETTER, DAD!"

"If you insist, Kimiko-chan-"

"I DO INSIST, DAD!"

"Okay, okay! By the way, can you get your sisters and brother to come out of their rooms and join us for dinner? They don't seem to be responding to me."

All of the anger left Kimiko, and she raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked. "That's odd..." She then shrugged. "Okay, I guess I'll get them to come out. Can't say it'll be easy in Naomi's case, though..."

The magenta-haired girl proceeded to go up the stairs and approach Naomi's door first. She prepared to knock it when she hesitated.

_ **"Try to understand her emotions. Place yourself in her shoes."** _

Kimiko sighed and knocked the door. "Naomi," she said, "it's time to eat dinner. Dad's been calling you for a while now."

There was no response, so Kimiko knocked again.

"Naomi, did you hear me?"

Still no response. Kimiko sighed sharply.

"Please don't tell me you're playing one of your games again!"

Then, she remembered that the police confiscated her video games and placed a new program on her computer that would limit her online activities. That means Naomi would have nothing to do in her room...but what else would Naomi do in her room that didn't involve that...?

A bead of nervous sweat broke out on Kimiko's forehead as she tried to turn the doorknob, only to find that it was locked from the other side.

"Naomi?!" she called. She knocked even harder this time. "Naomi, open this door right now!"

When she still didn't get a response, Kimiko knew something was wrong. So, she took a step back and kicked the door with all of the strength she could muster. It didn't open, so she kicked it again, forcing it open. Rushing inside, Kimiko felt her heart drop to her stomach like a pile of bricks the moment her worst fear was confirmed: Naomi was nowhere to be seen in her bedroom. There was a large lump underneath her blanket, but Kimiko knew Naomi placed pillows under there to make it look like she was sleeping.

Three seconds after she burst into the room, the window to Naomi's room exploded, and an officer swung in.

"POLICE!" he screamed.

"DON'T SHOOT, IT'S JUST ME!" Kimiko cried.

"Are you alone?! Is anyone else in the room with you?!"

"IT'S A FREAKING **BEDROOM**, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO YOU?!"

The officer pressed a button on his chest-mounted walkie-talkie and said into it, "Room Charlie is clear."

_**"Copy that..."**_ a voice glumly said from the other end.

"Check Tamika and Kaisei's rooms!" exclaimed Kimiko. "I-I think they may be missing too!"

The officer blinked with worry before speaking into his walkie-talkie. "Kimiko Nishimura is requesting that Rooms Delta and Epsilon be checked as well."

_ **"Copy that."** _

The minute that followed was filled with a cold silence, and Kimiko could feel her heart hammering against her sternum. Just then, the walkie-talkie spoke again.

_ **"Rooms Delta and Epsilon are both empty. No signs of disturbance, but the doors are locked from the inside. There's also pillows underneath Room Delta's covers."** _

At that moment, Kimiko remembered the shattered roof tile on the ground, near the base of her house...the tile that she ultimately chose to ignore. Without warning, she grabbed the closest thing that was within her reach, a lamp on Naomi's nightstand, and threw it across the room, startling the officer.

"HOLD IT!" he barked loudly.

"GODDAMN IT, NO!" Kimiko screamed with anger and terror. She then sunk to her knees in disbelief, and buried her face in her palms. "WHY, GOD?! _WHY_?!"

* * *

**Elsewhere in ** **Nishitōkyō**

"STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU TWO!"

Naotatsu and Yumie ran as fast as they could, trying their best not to lose sight of Naomi and Tamika. The two pairs of teenagers maneuvered their way through pedestrians and rounded city corners, trying their best not to knock anyone down in the process. At this point, Yumie was no longer being half-dragged by Naotatsu, instead running right beside him, although she still could barely tell what was going on.

"Hey!" Naotatsu cried out loud. "Someone stop those two girls! They ran away from home!"

Unfortunately, none of the pedestrians seemed to want to step in.

Then, Naomi cried, "Help! This man is a pervert who's trying to make a move on me and my little sister! Help us!"

Within a second, Naotatsu was tackled by about a dozen muscular men who all then proceeded to beat him up.

"AGH! OW! OOF! HEY! WHAT THE HELL?!"

"You otaku creeps are ruining our way of life!" one man shouted.

"It's about time you people are taught your place!" another barked.

"PROTECT THE LITTLE SISTERS!" a third hollered, as if it was a war-cry.

"I'M NOT A CREEP, GODDAMN IT!" Naotatsu protested, but this only intensified the beatings.

Fortunately, one of the assailants fell over in the midst of the violence, and the others, blinded with rage and a burning desire to protect, started beating him as well. This allowed a beaten and bloody Naotatsu to crawl through the legs of another one of his attackers while they were all distracted with one of their own.

"AGH!" the hapless muscular man cried. "OW! OOF! HEY! WHAT THE HELL?! DON'T BEAT ME, BEAT THE KID!"

"Down with the otaku!" one man shouted.

"Learn your place, pervert!" another barked.

"LITTLE SISTERS FOR LIFE!" a third hollered with intense compassion.

Wincing from his injuries, Naotatsu got up and ran as far away from the small mob as he could, clutching his side as he moved. Once he got far enough, he realized something.

"Y-Yumie?" he called. "Where are you?!"

Naotatsu had wandered into an alleyway, where he noticed for the first time that he was now all alone. There weren't even pedestrians in the area. Shadows were cast over him, giving the environment an uneasy aura.

_"Damn,"_ he thought. _"Yumie must've kept running after Naomi and Tamika. She probably didn't notice when I started getting beat up."_ He clenched his fist tightly. _"Crap. Crap, crap, crap! I gotta find her before she realizes she's all alone and starts freaking out!"_

He prepared to go the other way and leave the alleyway when he spotted something: a shinai, apparently abandoned, lying on the ground. Naotatsu approached it, picked it up, and realized it was Tamika's shinai.

_"What the hell? Why would Tamika leave her shinai here-?"_

Just then, he heard a terrified squeal. The blue-haired boy froze in his tracks, his blood running cold.

_"YUMIE!"_

He dropped the shinai and ran as fast as he could into the alleyway, following the sound of the squeal. It didn't take long for him to reach the other end, and when he did, he stopped dead in his tracks, so abruptly that he nearly fell over. His eyes widened with horror.

Two men had taken Naomi and Tamika captive, and they were being forced into a nearby van. At first, Naotatsu didn't know why either girl was not struggling, but then he saw that there were additional people in the van...including, to his absolute horror, Kaisei. The young boy had duct tape over his mouth, and tears were leaking down his cheeks. Another two men had Yumie trapped at the corner of a dilapidated staircase leading into a rundown apartment; the pink-haired girl was trembling as the men advanced on her, like predators that had just cornered their helpless prey.

"H-HEY!" Naotatsu shouted, trying his best to stomach his fears at the whole unprecedented situation. "LET THEM GO!"

All of the men's heads whipped towards his direction, and the man escorting Naomi snarled, "Who the hell are you?"

"L-LET THEM GO NOW, O-OR ELSE!"

"Or else what?" The man laughed jeeringly. "You're just a stupid kid. What're _you_ going to do to us?"

"Th-This!"

Naotatsu charged forward, prepared to fight the men. But before he could land a single punch, yet another man jumped out from the shadows of the alleyway and punched Naotatsu so hard that he hit the ground headfirst.

"N-NAO-NAOTATSU-KUN!" squealed Yumie in fear.

"Well, that was easy," remarked the man holding Naomi.

"All in a day's worth," replied the man who punched Naotatsu. "So, what should we do with this one?"

The first man tilted his head as he observed at Naotatsu's groaning form. "This one's not needed. He's just a witness." He looked at Naotatsu's attacker. "Kill him, Hirose."

"NO! NAOTATSU-KUN!" screamed Yumie, just before one of her assailants grabbed her and the other forced a strip of duct tape over her mouth.

As for the man named Hirose, he pulled out a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson 645 handgun and aimed it at Naotatsu's head.

"You should've stayed at home, kid," he said jeeringly.

Just then, Naotatsu felt some sort of new instinct guiding his body. Without questioning it, he leaped upward without warning and knocked Hirose's arm upward, just a second before he fired. The stray bullet ricocheted off the wall of the nearby apartment building and struck a garbage can. Then, before Hirose could aim his gun again, Naotatsu let out a loud, furious yell and punched him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. This allowed the blue-haired teenager to yank the Smith & Wesson out of Hirose's slackened hand and aim it at the two men holding Yumie hostage.

"LET HER GO!" he shouted. He then aimed the gun at the men holding Naomi and Tamika hostage. "LET ALL OF THEM GO RIGHT NOW, OR I'LL SHOOT! I MEAN IT!"

But the man holding Naomi smirked. "Trying to be a hero, eh?" he asked tauntingly.

"I MEAN IT, I'LL SHOOT! LET THEM GO, OR I'LL SHOOT YOUR UGLY FACE OFF!"

The man pulled out a 9mm Beretta 92FS Brigadier handgun with an Inox finish and a custom grip, and pressed the shiny barrel to Naomi's temple, causing her to close her eyes and whimper with terror. Naotatsu's grip on the Smith & Wesson tightened, but he couldn't get a good shot on the stranger. Not with Naomi now in the way. At the corner of his eye, he could see the man holding Tamika at gunpoint with a 9mm Glock 18 handgun with an elongated magazine. He couldn't see what was happening to Yumie or Kaisei, but he could tell he wouldn't have a clear shot at their captors either.

"Nice try, kiddo," Hirose said as he recovered from the blow to his abdomen. "You've got guts, I'll admit. Now, gimme my piece, or we'll blow _their_ cute little faces off."

"Wait a minute," piped the man holding Tamika hostage. "I thought-"

"The plan's changed," interrupted Naomi's captor. "We gotta improvise now."

"Besides," Hirose added, "we can always save one hostage for the big finale."

_"Big finale...?"_ Naotatsu thought as he continued to stare down Naomi's captor. Beads of sweat started to drip down his forehead as the boy struggled to come up with a new strategy. There was no way he was letting these strangers take Yumie or any of Kimiko's siblings. No. Not when he had a degree of responsibility over their well-being.

Naomi's captor opened his mouth, but before he could speak, there were two clattering noises. Everyone's eyes flitted towards the ground, where they saw two small canisters rolling across the asphalt. Moments later, they both began to spew smoke.

"What the hell?!" Hirose exclaimed.

A few seconds later, there was an abrupt howl of pain. Everyone's heads turned towards Yumie and saw that one of her captors had suddenly released her and dropped his gun. He was now hopping on one foot, and the sight of it looked almost comical if it weren't for the situation at hand.

"What the hell?!" Hirose exclaimed. "This is no time to be playing one-footed hopscotch!"

But Naotatsu saw what had happened: there was a throwing star embedded in his leg, and blood was trickling from his wound. A split-second later, another throwing star flew into the shoulder of Yumie's other captor, allowing the timid pink-haired girl to make a run for it into the spreading smoke.

"We're under attack!" Hirose shouted, but before he could pull out a revolver, Naotatsu pistol-whipped him and knocked him out.

A particularly large, muscular man emerged from the van, wielding a Rheinmetall MG 3 light machine gun, and started looking around. But before he could react, two throwing stars flew into his right shoulder and left leg. Not unexpectedly, his only reaction was just a small wince, as if he was instead pricked with a needle. But to everyone's horror, he started firing into the smoke with reckless abandon. Everyone ducked as debris started flying.

"YOU IDIOT!" Tamika's captor screeched. "DON'T FIRE AT **US**!"

But the machine gun-wielding man did not listen, instead hollering a war-cry as he continued firing.

Just then, yet another throwing star flew across the large man's forehead, cutting it and causing blood to trickle into his eyes. As the man stopped firing and reached for his forehead, a teenage boy, also large and muscular, with brown hair and squinting eyes, emerged from the smoke, ran up to him, and cut his right shin with a small dagger, forcing him to kneel on that leg. Now that both were at a more equal height, the boy quickly punched his opponent squarely in the nose. Naotatsu could've sworn he heard a cracking noise as the man fell to the ground unconscious. Then, his heart stopped the moment he recognized the boy who came to his assistance.

It was the boy who helped him in the Mitaka slums, Mutsuto Fujikawa.

At the same time, a teenage girl, who Naotatsu remembered was named C, ran up to Yumie's former captors, her dark-blue hair fluttering wildly with the air, her scarlet eyes glinting menacingly. Before the two men could react, she hit at their heads and legs with repeatedly with her wooden shinai, incapacitating them within mere seconds.

Realizing they were being ambushed, Naomi and Tamika's captors shoved both girls into the van and quickly closed the metal door behind them. Before the door could even close fully, the driver took it as a sign to flee, which he did.

"NAOTATSU-SENPAI!" cried Tamika in a shrill voice.

Naotatsu frantically fired a couple of rounds at the driver's direction, but they failed to hit their target. He didn't have time to fire some more, for the two remaining gunmen started firing at him with their Beretta 92FS and Glock 18, forcing him to run up the stairs and take cover behind the doorway of the dilapidated apartment building.

"C, stop the van!" Mutsuto cried, as he pulled a 9mm Heckler & Koch P7 pocket pistol from the machine gun-wielding man's waistband and started firing. "I'll hold 'em off!"

C nodded silently and dashed after the van. Unfortunately, it was too fast for her, so she quickly improvised, pulling out six throwing stars and tucking one each between her fingers. Stopping and taking a second to calculate her aim, the girl threw all six, and she heard one of the rear tires being punctured. The van started skidding out of control, but C didn't have time to figure out what happened next, for she felt something tear across her shoulder. Gritting her teeth to hold back her reaction, the wannabe ninja turned around and saw that the Glock-wielding man was aiming for her.

Naotatsu reacted quickly, shooting that man in the leg. This allowed C to run up to her attacker, jump into the air, and prepare to execute a downward kick. The man looked up...and his eyes widened a little.

"A..._pantie shot_...?" he croaked in disbelief.

C kicked him so hard that his face smashed into the asphalt a split-second later, turning his face into a broken, bloody pulp. The girl's brow was furrowed, just a little, as she dusted her skirt right afterwards.

"How foolish," she said.

Meanwhile, Naotatsu and Mutsuto were engaging the man wielding the Beretta. By this point, the smoke from the two canisters had blanketed the entire area, making it hard for the three of them to see. The Beretta-wielding man stalked through the smoke, hoping to find the three teenagers and kill them all. His gun was aimed, and sweat trickled down his face as he tried to pay attention to his surroundings.

However, Naotatsu had taken advantage of the billowing smoke and his position up the stairs. He tiptoed through the smoke, listening closely for his attacker's movements, and following his footsteps. The boy eventually found who he was looking for, stealthily sneaked up behind him while he was looking behind a set of garbage cans, and pressed the barrel of his Smith & Wesson into the glistening back of the man's head.

"Drop the gun," he snarled quietly. "Or I'll make you."

Naotatsu heard the clatter of the man's gun. Then, the man started to chant something.

"Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form."

"What?" Naotatsu asked, bewildered by the utter nonsense he was now hearing.

"Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change," continued the man. "Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy. Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life. And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits."

...

"Okay, that's good and all, but..." Naotatsu grabbed the man's shoulder, forcibly turned him around, and shoved his gun under the man's chin. "Tell me, who the hell are you people?! And where are you taking Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei?!"

The man sneered, then recited, "Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form-"

"Aw, no," interrupted Naotatsu, "don't give me that cult chanting bullshhhhh..."

He stopped suddenly as the horrific realization finally dawned upon him. The man sneered even more upon seeing this and continued, "Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change."

"No," Naotatsu said, shaking his head. "There's no way you're with that crazy cult."

"Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy."

The boy shoved the cultist to the ground and aimed his Smith & Wesson at him. His grip was trembling violently.

"You're _not_ with that cult!" he shouted.

"Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life."

Naotatsu couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew that the cult had an unhealthy obsession with the five classical elements of Japan, but that was common knowledge, right? Surely these were mere copycats trying to have their fifteen minutes of fame! But...that wouldn't make sense. After all, the cult was after Kimiko's blood for being a witness to their activities. It'd make more sense if they went after her siblings as leverage...

And now...they _have_ her siblings...all because he...he _failed_...

"And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_-"

Blinded with outrage, Naotatsu prepared to pull the trigger.

"-And its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits!"

Naotatsu felt something wrap around, just seconds before he could fire. Snapping back to reality, he realized it was...

"Yu-_Yumie_...?" he asked.

"Please don't..." she begged. For the first time, Naotatsu realized she was crying. "Please don't... _Please_..."

Concluding that she had seen enough, the boy lowered his gun. As he did, the cultist chuckled with a high-pitched voice.

"How _sweet_..." he said. "He was right about you, Matsushina-chan..."

Yumie's eyes widened with fear, and Naotatsu angrily snapped, "You _know_ her?!"

"Of course." The man sneered. "Her brother, good ole Ginga, is one of _us_."

Now it was Naotatsu's eyes that widened. Ginga, a member of the Global Awareness Club, Yumie's older brother...a good _friend_...was with that cult...? But...it seemed to make sense... For about a year, Ginga had been extremely stressed out from his family's financial situation, but all of those problems seemed to end abruptly just a few months ago. He and his family likely found solace in the cult by then. And Ginga _did_ get fidgety every time the cult was mentioned during club meetings...

Naotatsu's mind began to reel from all of the horrifying possibilities. Was that why the cult was able to intercept Kimiko's siblings? Did that mean everyone in the club was in grave danger? Were their families in danger?

Was _his_ family in danger?

...Was that why Takahashi didn't respond to his calls? Was it because the cult already got to him?

...

Naotatsu glared at Yumie, who shrunk even further at his horrified gaze.

"Don't tell me..." he said. "You're-"

"She's not with us," the cultist interrupted. "She's too weak."

Naotatsu stepped away from Yumie. "But you knew...didn't you?"

There was a brief, awkward silence, but eventually, Yumie nodded sadly. Naotatsu had a sudden urge to throw up. The cult the Global Awareness Club had been talking about, the very cult Japan was terrified of, was just millimeters within his reach, and he didn't even realize it. And now, Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei were in their clutches! How could he have been so blind and STUPID?!

The cultist seemed to sense Naotatsu's thoughts, for he cackled and then taunted, "We're everywhere, boy... There is not a single place where you can't find us. Everyone that you know and love is either with us...or against us. And you now know what happens to those who are against us... Heh heh heh..."

"Yeah, they kick your asses, that's what happens to them."

Mutsuto and C advanced upon the cultist, the former now wielding the Rheinmetall MG 3 machine gun. C expertly twirled her shinai around a little before aiming it at the cultist's chest.

"Talk," the girl said, her voice quiet but menacing.

"And we don't want any of that cult talk," Mutsuto added. "Every time you go off-script-" He pulled out the Heckler & Koch P7 and aimed it at the man's hand. "Say goodbye to one of your fingers."

The cultist sneered. "You're just a stupid kid. What're you gonna do-"

_ **BANG!** _

"**_AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH_!** YOU-YOU SHOT ME!" He glanced at his right hand...or what remained of it. Yumie looked away at the gory sight. "Y-YOU...YOU SHOT OFF MY HAND!"

But there was no smoke coming out of Mutsuto's gun. "I did...?" the boy uttered in surprise.

"No," a voice replied. "I did."

Yet another teenager stepped through the smoke, adjusting his rectangular eyeglasses as he walked. He had blue hair and appeared to be slender and intelligent-looking. But despite his looks, the others sensed an aura enveloping this boy, which seemed to indicate some sort of hidden depth to him.

Then, they noticed that he was armed with a .50 Action Express IMI Desert Eagle handgun. Whether or not he took it from one of the fallen cultists, they didn't know, nor did they care. A shared instinct within the teens convinced them that he was a friend, not a foe.

"Who...Who the hell...are _you_?!" the cultist groaned, clutching at his stump.

The boy aimed the Desert Eagle at the man's head, his glasses glinting as he did so.

"I'm Takayoshi Asahara," he said. "Your cult killed my father. Now...I'm here to avenge him."

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters**

Otonashi and Kanade led the way as their group made their way down a hallway. They had their attention trained to the ceiling, hoping to find an exit sign that didn't lead to the front lobby. As they moved onward, dragging Fuyuhiko along with them, Otonashi and Kanade filled them in on what was currently happening.

"W-Wa-Wait a minute, h-hold on f-for a sec," Hasumi finally said, once the two teens were done with their explanation. "S-So..." She took a deep breath as she tried to process all of the information she just heard. "You're...Y-You're saying that...w-we're all...different teens _reincarnated_...?"

"Correct," Kanade replied. "We all knew each other in a past life."

"So...these guys and gals have been inside us this whole time?" Noriya asked, an eyebrow raised. "You sure about that? I never noticed a thing, to be perfectly honest. And I'd _know_ if someone was inside me all along."

"They're not _inside_ you, exactly," explained Otonashi. "Just in some small part of your brain. But we know for sure you're our friends reincarnated. You all resemble them. It can't be a simple coincidence."

The entire group stopped, and there was a tense air in the conversation.

"Alright, then..." Fuuta said. "Assuming this is all really true, how'd _you guys_ come out of Takahashi and Chouko?"

"We were constantly exposed to people and scenarios that were familiar to us. It eventually gave us the strength to take over Takahashi and Chouko's bodies."

"But we don't know why the same didn't apply for you guys," Kanade added. "It probably also depends on the will of the reincarnated person."

At that moment, Hitomi and Saori embraced each other, trembling severely with fear. "We don't want our bodies to be taken over by strange people!" they bawled at the same time.

Kanade sighed. "Relax. They're still your bodies and your bodies alone. It's not like Takahashi and Chouko's minds were not wiped from existence the moment we came in."

"Then what happened to them?" Hasumi asked.

"They both should now be in the place from which Otonashi and I came."

"And that would be...?"

"For some reason, during the reincarnation process, a small part of Chouko's subconsciousness retained my memories. The same thing happened with Otonashi and Takahashi. These small parts manifested into what I assume are dreamlike realms, safe spaces for my soul and Otonashi's. Those are where Otonashi and I have remained dormant in those realms for Takahashi and Chouko's whole lives...until now, that is."

"Is...Is that even _possible_?!" Fuuta asked, bewildered by the otherworldly information. "Reincarnation, past lives, safe spaces in the subconscious-"

"The whole shebang?!" interrupted Noriya.

"Yes, it is possible," Kanade replied, nodding affirmatively. "The Afterlife also exists. Otonashi and I, as well as all of your past selves, have been there."

"What's it like?" Hasumi asked.

"For some reason, it's a high school."

"Are you _serious_?!" Noriya cried, outraged. "I have to go to _school_ again when I die?! What is this BS?!"

"It only applies if you died as a teenager and left something unresolved in your life. There are probably other Afterlife scenarios for certain types of people."

"_Sooooo_...you're saying I should make it to age eighteen and live a happy life if I don't wanna go back to school."

"That's...correct, I guess..."

"ALRIGHT!" Noriya jumped in the air, both of his clenched fists raised. "I'M **SO** GONNA PARTY AFTER THIS! I'M GONNA PARTY SO HARD ALL OF JAPAN WILL HEAR ME!"

"Mmph-mmph!" Fuyuhiko suddenly declared.

Noriya promptly slapped him with the butt of his machete. "I didn't tell _you_ to pitch in."

"I don't think it's as simple as that, though..." Kanade deadpanned.

"So, how do we solve this? How do we bring back Takahashi and Chouko? And...what do we do with you guys when we find out how to do that?"

"I don't have the answers for any of those questions." Her golden eyes narrowed. "But one thing's for sure. We have to find a way to solve this whole dilemma as soon as possible, because two people cannot share one body. Such a thing is extremely dangerous, metaphysically speaking, not to mention a very serious violation of the laws of the Universe." The silver-haired girl started to stare absentmindedly into the distance. "Who knows what'll happen to us..._all_ of us, if we keep this up?"

Hitomi and Saori both trembled again in fear.

"But _do_ we know the laws of the Universe?" Noriya asked, nonchalantly resting the dull end of his machete on his shoulder as he spoke. "That is the real question."

"I can't believe you actually said something _intelligent_, Noriya..." Masako replied in a deadpan tone.

Noriya bowed. "Touché, touché."

"Mmmmmphhh..." added Fuyuhiko.

Noriya slapped him again. "I _told_ you not to pitch in. Just because you were our friend a lifetime ago, that doesn't mean you are one now. You're still a cuckoo who tried to kill us all several minutes ago."

"Look, guys," Otonashi said seriously, "it doesn't matter what happens in the end. We'll find a way to bring your friends back. We'll find a solution to this problem, no matter how hard it is, and no matter how long it takes. We'll do it."

"Really?" Fuuta asked. "What if this solution involves killing you guys in order to bring Chouko and Takahashi back?"

"Hopefully it won't, but if it ever comes down to that, I'll gladly accept it." The redhead briefly looked over his shoulder. "Come on, guys, we gotta find a way outta here."

The group continued onward, but Hasumi kept staring at Otonashi with bewilderment. "So..." she said slowly, "you're _really_ Yuzuru Otonashi. You're him right now."

"That's me," Otonashi replied.

"Really?" Masako asked, her eyes shimmering in awe. "_The_ Yuzuru Otonashi?"

Otonashi blinked in surprise and stopped walking. "_The_...?"

"_Duuuuude_..." Noriya said. "You're freaking FAMOUS!"

The redhead blinked again. "I...I _am_?"

"Hell yeah! You saved all those people in that big train crash sixteen years ago! If it weren't for you, every last person in that train would've been _dead_! You've been a national hero since then!"

Otonashi stopped in his tracks. "I'm...a _national hero_...?"

"Yeah!" Hitomi exclaimed. "You've got your own memorial and national park-"

"You're in our school's history textbooks-" continued Saori.

"You've got a hospital named after you-"

"The day that you died is a national holiday-"

"And you're every girl's first crush!" Masako cried. The brown-haired girl was swooning as she clutched Otonashi's hands. "And to think, you were inside Mr. Average all along..." She looked up at him with an adorably bashful expression. "Wh-When th-this is all over, w-wi-will you go out with me?!"

...

...

...

"_Uhhhhh__hhhhh__hhhhh__hhhhh_..." Otonashi replied, slowly and hesitantly as he tried to tactically choose his next words. He knew Kanade was right beside him, but he didn't want to hurt Masako's feelings, especially since her hopes seemed to be so high right now. "S-Sure-"

Kanade gave him a death look.

"M-Maybe-"

Kanade raised her silver blade, pretending to clean it.

"Not-"

Kanade subtly aimed her blade at Otonashi's chest.

"Absolutely not?"

Masako's eyes widened, and tears were starting to well up.

"I'll think about it-"

Kanade puffed out her cheeks.

"I've thought about it, and the answer is-"

Masako gave him a hopeful expression.

"Ye-"

Kanade suddenly held her blade against his neck.

"No."

"_What_?!" Masako exclaimed in disbelief. "B-But...y-you're in the _future_! If you had a girlfriend back then, she's probably an old lady now! But look at me!" She started to lift her skirt suggestively. "_I'm_ young. I'll be your new girlfriend! I'll be _anything_ you want- OW!"

"Can we _please_ save this for another time?!" Hasumi cried, rubbing her knuckles. "We gotta focus on more important things!"

"Yeah!" Noriya added. "Like..." He suddenly approached Otonashi and started feeling his chest. "Did Mr. Average always have your muscles, or did they pop in when you did? Either way, can you gimme some tips?"

Otonashi immediately withdrew from the other boy's touch. "Dude, that's creepy..." he said.

"Wh-What about me...?" Kanade asked, becoming alarmed by all of the attention Otonashi was getting, especially from the girls. "Am-Am _I_ famous?"

"What's your name again?" Fuuta asked in response.

"Kanade. Kanade Tachibana."

"Nah, doesn't ring a bell," Noriya replied.

"Sorry," Masako added absentmindedly, while she was ogling Otonashi's figure.

...

"So..." Kanade said, "_no one_ knows who I am...?"

"Never heard of you before in my life," replied Noriya.

"Same here," Hitomi added.

"Ditto!" piped Saori.

"Mmph-mmph," Fuyuhiko mumbled, the mad teenager shaking his head.

...

...

...

Kanade collapsed to her knees and moaned sadly.

"Hey, guys!" Saori suddenly cried, pointing an index finger with excitement. "I see another exit sign!"

"Oh, thank goodness for that!" cried Hitomi.

"Hopefully it's not swarmed with cops this time," Otonashi remarked. "We can't risk being separated."

The group proceeded onward, with Kanade standing back up and glumly following after them.

"So," Otonashi said, "if this exit is unguarded by cops, where are we gonna go next?"

"You tell us," replied Noriya. "_You're_ the one with all the answers."

"Mmph-mmph," Fuyuhiko added. He was then able to dodge yet another slap from Noriya's machete...only for Noriya to slap him again with the palm of his hand.

"Wait a minute, Otonashi," Kanade suddenly piped up, the petite girl catching up with the redhead. "I don't know if you remember, but while Chouko was still in control of this body, she and Takahashi were going to meet up with someone."

"They were?" Otonashi asked.

"Yes. I retrieved that from Chouko's memories. They wanted to see someone who knew his way with computers, and Takahashi knew who that was."

"Why were they trying to find him?"

"They figured out that they were us reincarnated, and they were seeking more information. Apparently, someone else might be having the same dilemma as Takahashi and Chouko."

"Then we should find this person!" suggested Saori.

"But you're saying Takahashi knows who this person is?" Takahashi asked. "The computer guy, I mean?" When Kanade nodded, he said, "But...I don't know who that would be."

"Otonashi, I'm able to access a limited portion of Chouko's memories. Are you able to do that with Takahashi's?"

"Not really." At that moment, Otonashi approached the door first and clutched at the handle. "I barely even remember how I took control of Takahashi's body in the first place."

As soon as the redhead opened the door, they saw another office room with a glass door leading to an outside garden. At that moment, three cultists suddenly rounded a corner at the other end of the hallway.

"They should have the Nishimura children by now-" one of them began.

At that moment, another spotted Otonashi, Kanade, and the others. "IT'S THEM!" he shouted.

All three of them pulled out their guns (a Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun, an IMI Micro Tavor MTAR-21 bullpup submachine gun, and an FN SCAR-H battle rifle) and started firing, prompting all but Kanade to take cover behind desks.

"_Distortion_," Kanade recited.

The silver-haired girl dashed forward at superhuman speeds. The cultists focused all of their fire on her, but the bullets simply bounced off from the invisible barrier Kanade set up in front of her. Before any of them could realize what was happening, Kanade reached them and cut them in the legs, sending them all collapsing to the floor. Otonashi ran up to them first and aimed his Glock at one of their heads.

"What is it that you said about the Nishimura children?!" he demanded. "Who are they to you guys?!"

However, Hasumi gasped and covered her mouth with her hands in horror.

"Oh, my God..." she said. "That's...That's Kimiko!"

Otonashi looked at her. "Kimiko...?"

But Kanade realized it as well. "Otonashi, she's Yuri!"

Otonashi's eyes bulged at the memory of the magenta-haired girl, the person he first met in the Afterlife. Then, he knelt down and pressed the barrel of his Glock into the cultist's temple.

"What'd you do to them?" he asked with an alarmingly calm tone.

"I ain't telling you sh- AGH!"

Kanade withdrew her blade from his hand, and it shone with the man's blood.

"You tell us right now," she said, also with a calm voice that brought chills to the others' spines, "or in three seconds, you'll be saying goodbye to your precious hand."

The man's pupils were trembling with terror.

* * *

**Unknown location**

"This is all your fault, Onee-chan!"

"_Shut up_, Tamika! I'm trying to think!"

All three of Kimiko's younger siblings were in the back of the van as it trudged onward with all of the speed it could possibly muster. There was a bloodcurdling screeching noise coming from the tire that was punctured from one of C's throwing stars.

Because the cultists didn't have time to properly restrain her and Naomi, Tamika removed the duct tape binding Kaisei and was now slamming her fist against the walls, hoping to catch the attention of someone outside. As for Kaisei, he was crying out of terror. Meanwhile, Naomi remained still as she tried her best to analyze the situation and find a solution. None of the siblings had access to the driver's seat, because it was blocked off by piles of silver metal crates.

"Think?! _Think_?! _Now_ you're thinking?!" Tamika glared at Naomi with a burning hatred. "Were you thinking when you suggested we disobey the police and sneak out while a bunch of horrible men were after us?!"

Naomi stared back at her glumly. "I-I didn't think they were after us-"

"Obviously you were _wrong_! Boy, I sure hope you're happy now!" Tamika leaned her head back, and tears started to drip from her eyes. "Ohhhhh, I _knew_ this was a bad idea, I knew it! Why the hell did I listen to you?!"

The other girl blinked. "Wow, Tamika," she said, unable to contain her amazement at what had just happened. "You...You _actually_ cursed-"

"REALLY?! THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS?!"

"L-Look, I'm so sorry-"

"NO! YOU'RE **NOT** SORRY! ALL YOU EVER WANTED WAS TO GET BACK AT ONEE-CHAN FOR LETTING MOM DIE! WHEN IN FACT IT WAS NEVER HER FAULT IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Naomi gritted her teeth. "It _was_ her fault," she snarled. "She should've done something-"

"AGAINST A FULLY GROWN MAN?!"

"She could've done ANYTHING!"

"NO, SHE COULDN'T, ONEE-CHAN!"

**"_WAAAAAHHHHH_!"**

Naomi and Tamika both looked at Kaisei, who was now crying even more intensely than ever. He had scooted away from his older sisters, but he never stopped observing their argument. His cheeks were literally shining from his tears.

"St-Stop it!" Kaisei wailed. "S-S-Stop fi-fighting! I-I j-ju-just w-w-wa-wanna g-go h-ho-home, N-Na-Naomi-n-n-neechan, T-T-Tam-Tamika-ne-ne-neechan!"

Tamika scooted closer to Kaisei. "It's okay, Kaisei, it's okay," she replied. "We'll find a way to get through this."

"What were you doing out here anyway, Kaisei?!" exclaimed Naomi.

Kaisei stuttered through his weeping, "I-I s-s-saw y-you guys sn-sne-sneaking out, a-a-and I-I d-di-didn't want Ki-Kim-Kimiko-n-nee-neechan o-or D-Dad t-to get m-m-mad, s-so I f-f-fol-followed you, b-but I g-g-got lost and-and-"

"It's okay," Tamika interrupted, leaning her head against Kaisei's for comfort. "You don't have to say anything anymore."

"I'm-I'm s-sorry-"

"Don't be, Kaisei. We'll find a way to escape."

"How? W-We're in a m-mo-moving c-car-"

"They forgot to tie us up. And they've gotta stop this car eventually. When they do, we'll try and make a run for it."

"Wh-What if th-there are more b-b-bad guys?"

Tamika held her breath for a second as she looked at Naomi. "...Then we'll fight our way out if we must. Just stay behind us, Kaisei, and don't _ever_ lose sight of us."

Kaisei whimpered with terror at the prospect of fighting. "I'm _scared_..." he whispered.

"I know. I am too."

"...So am I..." added Naomi, her head bowed with shame as she spoke.

"I don't know what to do!" Kaisei exclaimed.

"Well..." Tamika replied, "we pray to God. Just like Kimiko-neechan would do."

She promptly closed her eyes, bowed her head loyally, and fell silent. Kaisei immediately followed suit, leaving Naomi to observe her two siblings for a number of minutes. At first, she didn't want to join in, still being overcome with conflicting emotions. But then, she remembered how her reckless actions and manipulation led to this situation.

...Perhaps this was some sort of sign...?

But how could she pray to God? He didn't seem to be there when her mother died and Kimiko did absolutely nothing to stop it-

Just then, Naomi's thoughts were interrupted when the van started to slow to a crawl. Tamika opened her eyes, realizing it was their opportunity to escape. She took Kaisei's hand and slid the van door open with her other hand. To her relief, she saw a group of well-dressed men standing near a limousine, a sharp contrast to the grimy, creepy van they were in.

As the van slowed down even more, she and Kaisei jumped out safely, quickly followed by Naomi.

"Oh, thank God!" Tamika exclaimed. "Hey! HEY, YOU!" She waved at the well-dressed men with her unoccupied hand. "OVER HERE! HELP US!"

"_HELP_!" Kaisei called as well.

The three siblings started running towards the men as they looked back at them with confusion. When the Nishimura children got nearer, one of the men stepped forward. He had smooth, combed black hair and dark-brown eyes, while his body was very muscular and well-developed, something obvious even in spite of the formal suit he was wearing. In addition to the suit, he was wearing a pair of rectangular, frame-less glasses that gave him an air of superior intellect.

"What's wrong, little ones?" he asked in a calm voice.

"We were kidnapped!" Naomi shouted. "But we escaped!" She pointed towards the van, which had come to a stop just a few feet away. "There, that's the guy who tried to take us!"

"I see..." The man's eyes narrowed, as the driver emerged from the van and started walking towards him. "Don't worry, children. I'll take care of it."

To the surprise of Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei, the well-dressed man started walking towards their kidnapper...and started having a _casual conversation_ with him?!

"Had a little fun, I see?"

"Hashimoto-sama, I can explain-" began the driver.

"I could've sworn I sent seven of you. Whatever happened to the other six?"

"That's the thing, Hashimoto-sama. While we were taking the kids, we got ambushed-"

"I thought the plan was to take them _without being seen_." The businessman shook his head in disapproval. "You're not going deaf, are you?"

Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei's eyes all widened in horror. But before they could make a run for it, the other well-dressed men grabbed them, and one pried Kaisei away from Tamika and held a large hunting knife against his throat.

"Tamika-neechan!" Kaisei bawled. "Naomi-neechan!"

"Kaisei!" Naomi and Tamika both cried.

"Resist," Kaisei's captor snarled, "and this kid's gonna have a first-rate lesson about the color red in three seconds."

Naomi and Tamika immediately fell still. Meanwhile, Sadahiro Hashimoto was continuing his conversation with the van driver.

"Look, Hashimoto-sama," the man said, "the others stayed behind to take care of the witnesses, and I brought the kids here, just as you wanted. It's the end result that _really_ matters, isn't that right? To hell with a couple of witnesses! We'll take care of 'em if they haven't been already, right?!"

"That's true..." Sadahiro replied. "You strike up an interesting point, Abe-san."

"Thank you, Hashimoto-sama, thank you." The driver bowed like the born sycophant he was. "I have my moments."

"_But_..."

Abe started to sweat nervously. "B-But?"

"You know I expect my orders to be carried out to the last, minuscule detail. There can be no room for error. And when I hear that one detail of the plan was not executed one-hundred percent perfectly, I consider those who carried out the plan to be failures, no matter how devoted they may have been. And you know I don't tolerate failure of _any_ degree in my businesses."

"I-I tried my best, Hashimoto-sama, b-but I was behind the wheel the whole time, like you instr-"

"No matter how small the failure," Sadahiro interrupted, "it is tantamount to total collapse. A business can't afford such a fate. That is why it is within the business's best ethics to find the root cause of the failure, so it can sever itself from the weak link."

"I promise I'll do better, Hashimoto-sama-"

"And unfortunately, _Abe-san_, you _are_ the weak link of this situation."

At that point, Abe realized Sadahiro was only a foot away from him. "I promise I'll become stronger-"

"And unfortunately, as good of a worker as you were, it is my sorrow to inform you that you must be severed from the business."

"I promise I'll-"

Abe didn't say anything anymore, for Sadahiro had pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the stomach. Abe's eyes bulged open with surprise, and the man collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach. Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei all screamed at the horrific sight. Sadahiro stood over Abe's body for a moment, tilting his head to observe the dying man's body at all angles, before suddenly stabbing him twice in the back, eliciting gurgled howls from him.

"Whoa, boss!" Kaisei's captor exclaimed. "The man's already dying! There's no need-"

"Too much failure has occurred today," Sadahiro interrupted. "My base of operations has been invaded by the police, my cover has been found out by Igarashi-sama, I lost Chouko... I will not tolerate overconfidence in my part ever again." He wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. "Besides...it feels a bit like _fun_, taking a life..."

Naomi and Tamika both gritted their teeth at Sadahiro, while Kaisei's legs buckled with absolute terror. However, the mad businessman barely regarded his three new hostages, merely procuring a handkerchief from his breast pocket and using it to wipe the crimson blood from his knife.

"It is now time to execute the final phase," he declared.

* * *

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus concludes this chapter! Otonashi and Kanade finally take the spotlight, while Kimiko's sisters and brother are all kidnapped by the cult under Sadahiro's orders! As for Naotatsu, he's faced with a personal crisis, not to mention he learned something shocking about the girl he had been watching over like she was a little sister. What will happen next?! Stay tuned!
> 
> I think this was a good chapter for me to write. Not exactly one of my best, in my opinion, but I think I put my B-grade material into this. Maybe a B+ at best. Anyway, now that the three-parter is over, we will be settling down from all of the action a little, and the focus of the story's next three chapters will now be on getting the SSS back together! HOORAY! Expect some very great scenes and interactions ahead!
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	23. Getting the Gang..., Part 1 of 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, everyone, another chapter from yours truly! As promised, this chapter marks the beginning of the reunion of the SSS. Don't be alarmed by the possibility of meeting even more new OCs. If you've been paying attention to all of the characters of this story, then you'll realize that much of the cast of "Angel Beats!" has been right in front of you the whole time. :D
> 
> But if you don't remember, it'll still be obvious who is who as this mini-arc comes along. Don't worry about that either.
> 
> Alright, on with the chapter! ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 21: GETTING THE GANG..., PART 1 OF 3**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

Takeyama -_ Touya Hamada_

Fujimaki - _Fuyuhiko Ezakiya_

* * *

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters**

Otonashi and Kanade emerged from the building and went up a small staircase that led into the downtown street. They were followed by Fuuta, Hasumi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, Saori, and the still-restrained Fuyuhiko. Being the last ones out, Hitomi and Saori took one last look at the cultists they tied to the desks before closing the door behind them.

"Do you hear any sirens, guys?" Noriya asked.

Otonashi shot him a flat look. "Do _you_?" he replied.

...

"No, not really."

"Then I don't hear them either." Otonashi looked at Kanade. "Do you know where to go now, Kanade? ...Kanade?"

Kanade didn't answer. Instead, she was gawking at the other skyscrapers that loomed majestically outside, her mouth slightly agape in wonder. At that very moment, Otonashi realized that, like him, this was her first time seeing Japan in the year 2026. Of course she'd be fascinated by the architecture of the future. Who wouldn't be, if they died during the early 2000s and then came back to life in this timeline?

Then, upon remembering her pale complexion and old disease-riddled life, Otonashi deduced that this had to be her first time seeing downtown Tokyo...in person. He could see it in her golden eyes. Kanade was trying to comprehend the very concept of a skyscraper, only to fail as she was overwhelmed by its grandeur.

The way she looked up at the skyscrapers with awe was very cute...

"_Hello_?" Fuuta suddenly called. "Earth to Tachibana-san."

"Huh?" Kanade blinked, and she shook her head in order to recompose herself. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Otonashi-san was asking if you know where to go now."

"Please tell me you do," Masako said in a whiny voice. "My feet are killing me, and I can't afford to be shot at for another minute!"

To everyone's surprise, Kanade closed her eyes and remained still for a few moments.

"Uhhhhh..." Noriya said, "what the hell is she doing?"

"I...I think she's trying to access that other girl's memories," Otonashi replied as he stared at Kanade in awe. Then, he quickly corrected, "Chouko Hashimoto."

Kanade suddenly opened her eyes and said, "Unfortunately, I don't know." She looked up at the office skyscraper. "This is the only place that holds any significant meaning to Chouko."

"What?!" Hasumi exclaimed.

"Wait, what about her home?" Noriya suggested.

Hasumi sighed and lightly slapped him in the back of the head. "It was destroyed by that cult, idiot." She started rubbing her palm. "There's no way we can go back there."

"Then where _can_ we go?!" Saori squeaked with fear.

Then, Kanade looked at Otonashi. "Otonashi, are you sure you don't know how to access Arata Takahashi's memories?"

"Sorry, Kanade," the redhead replied. "I'm completely useless in that regard."

"Well, we have to do _something_!" Fuuta exclaimed angrily. "That lunatic Sadahiro Hashimoto is still out there planning his next move! He's got eyes everywhere, _including_ in the police department! We have to do something!"

"Wait a minute..." Kanade replied. She shot a look at Hasumi. "You're Itagaki-san, correct?"

"Y-Yes, that's me..." Hasumi said, surprised at being addressed.

"And I understand you're on friendly terms with Takahashi?"

"Th-That's correct."

"Do you know where he lives?"

Hasumi blinked a couple of times, then she lowered her head with guilt. "I...I don't. To be perfectly honest, we were only acquaintances, coworkers. I never asked much about his private life." She looked up at Otonashi, and he was surprised by her intense stare. "I was nice to him, but I never actively tried to be his friend. ...I was the only one he had outside of his mother, and I could only view him as an acquaintance." She sighed regretfully. "Maybe that's why he's always had a crazy crush on me..."

"WHA?!" Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all squealed at once.

"Since when did Mr. Average have a crush on _you_?!" exclaimed Noriya.

"Perhaps since the day we met," Hasumi replied somberly. "I never really put two and two together until earlier today." She bit her quivering lip and shut her eyes. "God, I'm such an IDIOT!"

Realizing Hasumi's dilemma, Otonashi latched his hands on her shoulders, prompting her to look back into his eyes. He said, "Iwa- I mean, _Itagaki_, it's not too late to make up for it. I promise you, we'll find a way to get Takahashi back, and you can start over again with him. Even if it means purging me from his body, I'll make sure it happens!"

Hasumi's eyes widened a little, and then she smiled. "Thank you, Otonashi." Then, she chuckled briefly. "I guess all the stories were true. You _are_ selfless."

"You got that right..." Masako remarked dreamily, hearts in her eyes as she ogled Otonashi's figure.

Noticing the teenage girl's renewed attention on Otonashi, Kanade's eyelid twitched, and she puffed out her cheeks with anger. Then, she chose to clear her throat, catching everyone's attention.

"We won't get anywhere if we don't know what to do next!" she exclaimed. "There's someone out there who might hold the answers to everything that we're experiencing, and we need to find that person right away!" The silver-haired girl then took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Now, let's think a little. If Chouko's home is in ruins, and we don't know where Takahashi lives, then what's the next step?"

It was silent for a few seconds. Then, Noriya finally replied, "Well, if it's no trouble, you guys can crash at my place."

"_Your_ place?" Otonashi asked slowly, his eyebrow raised. Given how Noriya resembled Noda, the archetypal street punk, to a T, it was very hard to imagine him having a place to call his own.

"Yeah, my place. My pops should be out drinking and he won't be back until tomorrow morning." When he noticed the look of hesitation on Otonashi and Kanade's faces, he said, "Oh, _come on_, you guys! These bozos don't even know where I live! And it's in a neighborhood they would _never_ expect!"

"He's right," Hasumi remarked flatly. "They'd never think of looking there."

Smiling smugly, Noriya stood between Otonashi and Kanade and slung his arms over their shoulders.

"Come on, you two!" he exclaimed. "I'm cool with it! Especially if it means helping out the one and only Yuzuru Otonashi! There can't be a better reason for me to stick my nose all up in this business!"

Otonashi and Kanade merely looked at each other with apprehension. They could tell that bad times were ahead.

* * *

**Last Stop Apartments**

They were right.

To call the apartment complex that Noriya called home a pigsty was the understatement of the millennium. It stood in the middle of a neighborhood seedier than Chiba, with alleyways on both sides. The alleyway at the left had a bunch of homeless men smoking God knows what, while the alleyway at the right was filled to the brim with discarded trash, the oldest of which seemed to be decades old. The surrounding sidewalks and street were cracked and faded, and there was a strangely high abundance of cats roaming the area. More than a few kept picking fights with one another, which the homeless men seemed to take as a form of classy entertainment.

"God, I beg of you," Fuuta whispered in a pleading voice, "kill me now."

"I didn't say my place was a palace," Noriya said, gazing upon the apartment complex fondly, "but at least I have a roof over my head!"

"How is _that_ supposed to be of any comfort?!"

Noriya ignored him and walked towards the front door. Hasumi was the first to follow him; and then Masako, Hitomi, and Saori were right behind her a couple of seconds later. Watching them go, Fuuta let out a heavy sigh of ambivalence and followed them, dragging the restrained Fuyuhiko along with him. This left Otonashi and Kanade alone.

Alone...with each other...

"So..." Kanade began, breaking an awkward silence.

"Um, after you?" Otonashi replied hesitantly.

"O-Of course..."

Kanade started walking. But before she could get a couple of feet, she suddenly felt a hand clasp itself around her wrist. Her eyes widening, she turned around.

"Otona- Mmph!"

She was cut off when Otonashi kissed her squarely on the lips. Neither of them knew why it happened, but it didn't take long for them to accept the turn of events and deepen the kiss. The two of them stood there, transfixed to their position, not caring about what would happen next. They didn't even care about the homeless man watching them perversely and taking a picture of the moment with what appeared to be a brand-new camera.

Finally, Otonashi broke away from Kanade's lips, stared into her golden eyes for the longest moment, and then replied awkwardly, "Sorry."

"It's...okay..." Kanade replied breathlessly, her voice filled with wonder. "I was waiting all day for that, actually..."

In his mind, Otonashi was sighing with relief. "M-Me too..."

There was another awkward silence between the couple. Finally, Otonashi chose to break it again.

"I...I never thought that I'd...I'd find you again..."

"Neither did I..."

"It's like fate, isn't it? No matter what happens, we'll always be together."

"It appears so. All because..." She placed a hand over her chest. "I have your heart..."

"I guess that's what binds us to each other." Otonashi withdrew from his embrace and smiled cheekily at her. "No matter what you do, you're not gonna get rid of me that easily."

"Oh, I don't know." Kanade smirked slyly, and she flexed the fingers of her right hand. "I can always just stab you in the heart with Hand Sonic."

Otonashi was quick to bow his head. "Please forgive me, Kanade-san..."

The girl chuckled and did a very light karate chop on the back of her boyfriend's head.

"All is forgiven, Otonashi."

He raised his head and chuckled, while Kanade chuckled back. The two teenagers stood there for a few more minutes, laughing jovially at each other. When they finally stopped, the redhead started stroking Kanade's cheek.

"It's so weird, yet so fascinating," he said fondly. "I...I never thought that I'd get to see your face again... Feel your skin again... Hear your voice again..." He smiled what was perhaps the happiest smile of his life. "And now that I've found you again...it's like nothing's changed...since we last saw each other..."

Kanade gently placed her hand over Otonashi's. "I feel the same..."

Otonashi promptly leaned his head forward, allowing his forehead to rest on Kanade's. The girl smiled at the contact and closed her eyes. The two teenagers felt the golden light of the setting sun bathe them in its warmth, blessing them and their love. Even though they were in a very seedy area, neither of them were daunted by this. As long as they had each other, there was nothing for them to fear. They didn't care what was ahead of them, what fate ultimately awaited them.

At least they had this moment to share together.

* * *

**Room 217, Noguchi Residence**

"Where the hell were you two?" Noriya asked as Otonashi and Kanade approached the others, accompanied by Fuuta.

"Sorry, guys," Otonashi replied sheepishly. "We were just...catching up."

"Catching up?" Hasumi asked in disbelief.

"Well, we _were_ friends in the Afterlife, and we hadn't seen each other in God knows how long. So of course we had to do some catching up."

Noriya frowned, but he replied, "If you say so. Anyway..." He pulled out a key and inserted it into the door. "Welcome to my home-base. Make yourselves at home."

He turned the key and it automatically broke. Everyone stared at it in silent disbelief.

...

...

...

"Son of a- Chazawa!"

As if on cue, a tall, muscular, tan-skinned man burst out of his apartment. He was wearing electrical clothing, and he had long dark hair and an unshaven face. Otonashi and Kanade's eyes widened as they immediately recognized the man.

"What the fuck do you want now, Noguchi?!" the man snapped.

"My key just broke again, goddamn it!" Noriya shouted back. "A-grade locksmith work, my fucking ass!"

"Be fucking grateful you've got a fucking neighbor who can fix your fucking keys, jackass! Now gimme that fucking key and let's get this shit over with!"

"Not until you pay me back for all the shit work you've been doing for the past five years, because this is the last fucking time I'm getting scammed by you!"

"Well, too fucking bad, because I spent all of your fucking money!"

"WHAT?! YOU PUNK-ASS **BITCH**!"

Everyone else watched the profanity-laced argument unfold, too frightened to intervene.

_"I don't recall Chaa being this foul-mouthed..."_ Otonashi thought. _"Or Noda, for that matter."_

"I believe the correct term is badass," Chazawa said smugly. "Now-"

"I spoke correctly, dumbass," Noriya interrupted savagely. "Now-"

"You're the fucking dumbass here, thinking you're all hardcore and a rebel and shit, but you're just a little sissy who has to clean up his house, like some maid in a hentai, and cook for a loli, a future who-"

Before anyone knew it, Noriya had Chazawa pinned to a wall, with his machete pressed against his neck, nearly drawing blood.

**"TALK SHIT ABOUT MY SISTER AGAIN AND I'LL REALLY KILL YOU THIS TIME!"** he roared.

...

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...

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...

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...

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...

All of a sudden, Noriya and Chazawa both burst out in rambunctious laughter.

"Ah, that was a good one, man!" Chazawa cried. "A goddamn good one! Pulling out that machete like that and going all Jason Voorhees on me?! Priceless!"

"Thanks, man!" Noriya replied, slapping his neighbor on the back hard while grinning hungrily. "I got this baby from a fight I had an hour ago!" He twirled his machete around a little before admiring it like it was some sort of competition trophy. "I think I'll hold on to it!"

"You should! It'd look fucking great on the wall!"

_"THEY'RE _FRIENDS_?!"_ everyone else thought at the same time.

Just then, the door to Noriya's apartment room opened, and a small head with purple hair peeked out from the doorway.

"Onii-chan?" she called meekly. "Is...Is that you?"

"Hey, Natsumi-chan!" Noriya replied, his smile suddenly the brightest in the world. "Guess who I brought with me?"

The girl spotted Hasumi, gasped, and literally jumped out of the doorway to hug her legs, as an adorable octopus plush doll hung from her hand.

"Hasumi-neechan!" she squeaked.

"Hi, Natsumi-chan," Hasumi replied as she patted the girl's head. "How are you?"

"I'm good! Guess what, guess what?!"

"What, what?!"

"I got my baby tooth out!" Natsumi promptly showed the older girl her set of teeth, which had a noticeable gap. "See?"

"Congratulations, Natsumi-chan! Now you can do that squirting trick I showed you on the Internet!"

Natsumi hopped up and down a few times. "YAY!"

_"Wow,"_ Otonashi thought. _"A neighborhood like this has a girl like _that _living here? This future is full of surprises..."_

Then, she noticed Otonashi, Kanade, and the others; and tilted her head curiously. "Who are you?"

"Awwwwwwwwww, you're such a CUTIE!" Masako squealed, bending down in an attempt to hug the young girl. "Come here and gimme a kiss- _**AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH**_**!**"

Natsumi had suddenly grabbed onto Masako's hair and ripped out a fistful of it with a freakishly powerful force. She then glared at Masako's teary eyes with an expression that proved she was, without a doubt, the spawn of Satan.

"Call me cutie again and it'll be your teeth that are ripped out next," she hissed. Then, her expression instantly reverted back to its original innocent one, and she smiled brightly at Masako as Hasumi nonchalantly petted her head again. "'Kay?"

...

...

...

_"Something tells me the cult won't be the one to kill us at the end of the day..."_ Otonashi thought.

* * *

The moment they stepped into Noriya's apartment, Otonashi and Kanade found that their expectations for it were also spot-on: it was a total pigsty. The walls were peeling, exposing the woodwork underneath; their colors and those of the ceiling were horribly faded; there were wrappers, paper towels, plastic bottles, and other trash strewn all over the floor; a noticeably nasty stench hung in the air; the furniture was torn, with the leg of one sofa missing; etc. If a professional inspector took a look at this room, it'd be marked for every violation in the book.

Unfortunately, it was also a bit cramped, leaving Otonashi and Kanade to wonder how Noriya was going to support eight more people for the night.

"I see this place hasn't changed much since I was last here..." deadpanned Hasumi.

"Hey, it ain't Camelot, babe," Noriya replied, "but I try my best. Natsumi-chan, get that rat off the couch."

"She's not a rat, onii-chan," Natsumi said sweetly as she approached the couch, which had an orange-and-white cat sleeping on it. "Come on, Yuri, we have guests."

She picked up the cat and walked away with it, all the while humming an unknown tune. Otonashi's eyes lingered on the cat as it left.

_"Of all the things that are in this room,"_ he thought, _"this cat looks well-cared for. Why am I not surprised?"_

"So, is there anything you guys want?" Noriya asked as he entered the kitchen and set his machete on the counter. "I can cook something up."

"Wait, you can _cook_?" Otonashi asked with suspicion.

"Well, of course I can! With only a deadbeat father and an innocent little sister in the household, someone's gotta step up and take care of all the necessities!" Then, Noriya frowned at the redhead. "Look, just because I look and act like some punk doesn't mean I'm a dumbass in all other things. Punks can excel at other things as well!"

"I can vouch for Noriya's cooking," Hasumi said.

"Look, I wasn't implying anything!" Otonashi exclaimed. "It's just...your old self, the one I knew in the Afterlife, wasn't exactly the brightest of the bunch-"

"That's probably because you didn't make him cook something for you," replied Noriya. All of a sudden, the boy reached under the sink, pulled out an apron with magenta and purple flower patterns, and put it on. "You can never judge a book by its cover, otherwise you'll _never_ truly know anyone. Now, do you want anything or not, smartass?"

Otonashi stifled a laugh at the unorthodox sight of Noriya's apron before replying, "I'm good, thanks."

"I'll have Mápó dòufu, please," Kanade piped up.

"Yeah, Mápó dòufu sounds good to me as well," Fuuta added.

"Same here," added Hasumi.

"Mmph-mmph," Fuyuhiko mumbled in agreement from his armchair.

"Mápó dòufu it is, then," Noriya replied. Then, he glared at Fuyuhiko. "_You're_ not having any."

When Fuyuhiko hung his head with disappointment, the purple-haired boy added, "I have something better for you."

Fuyuhiko's head shot up, and for once in his life, Otonashi saw _hope_ in the usually sadistic boy's eyes.

"Natsumi-chan!" Noriya called.

As if on cue, Natsumi excitedly dashed back into the room, holding a small can of..._cat food_?

She set the can beside Fuyuhiko's feet, smiled adorably at him, and said, "I've always wanted to see what happens if people try kitty food!"

Otonashi could tell Fuyuhiko was praying for repentance of whatever sins he committed in life. Even though Fuyuhiko was Fujimaki reincarnated, the redhead stifled another laugh, remembering how Fuyuhiko attacked him in Hashimoto's lobby.

"Anyway," Fuuta spoke up, "while we're waiting for the Mápó dòufu to be done, we should go over what we took from Hashimoto's office."

"Sounds like a good idea," Hasumi replied.

The group of teenagers spent the next few minutes laying out and organizing all of the files they took. Fuuta chose to ignore the laptop and set it aside for now. Once they were done with their organization, they assigned certain files to each other and started reading.

"This is all just a bunch of business mumbo-jumbo!" Masako exclaimed, after several exasperating minutes of reading. "If I see another sales pitch or statistic table in the next file, I'm gonna throw all these out of the window!"

"This is the seventh file in a row that has a lot of content blacked out," Fuuta said, raising the file for everyone to see. "Whatever was being discussed in these files, it was probably illegal."

"Or it could've been a defensive measure against corporate espionage by rival companies," Kanade replied. "Now, this file I'm reading seems to be keeping tabs on the Japan Railways Group."

"The Japan Railways Group?" Otonashi asked. "What could Hashimoto want from them?"

"It looks like he was really interested in purchasing a significant portion of the company's shares."

"It's more business mumbo-jumbo!" Masako exclaimed angrily. "It's useless! Why are we even bothering with this crap?"

"I don't think so," Kanade said, her eyes narrowing. "This file is dated 2022, and it looks like the deal is falling through. I don't know how Hashimoto interacts with others when deals don't go through, but this file is becoming less of a personal business report and more of a diary entry. He's literally venting his rage in this."

"That could mean something," replied Otonashi. "Nice catch, Kanade."

Kanade hid her blush behind the file. "Th-Thank you."

"What about you two?" Fuuta asked, turning towards Hitomi and Saori. "What do you..." His skin paled when he saw that both girls had whipped out their cellphones and started texting. "...have...?"

"Huh?" Hitomi looked up. "Oh, sorry. We got bored so we decided to take a break."

"_Really_? We haven't been at it for _that_ long! Who are you texting, anyway?"

"Each other," Saori replied, her eyes still glued to the phone screen.

"_Each other_? But...you're in the same room-"

"We didn't want to interrupt you guys with our chatter," Hitomi interrupted as she looked back down at her phone.

Hasumi sighed, lowered her file, and snatched Hitomi and Saori's phones away from the teenage girls.

"Hey! Hasumi!" Saori squealed.

"Give us our phones back!" shouted Hitomi, her eyes already becoming teary.

"This is very important, you two," Hasumi replied seriously, as her grip on the mobile devices tightened. "We're trying to investigate a cult that the police just cannot seem to crack on their own, and these files might be the breakthrough that Japan needs. When this is all done and we all become national heroes, you guys can start texting each other in the same room again. Got it?"

"Got it..." Saori replied sadly, while Hitomi nodded her head with ambivalence.

"Good. Now..." Hasumi pointed at a particularly tall stack of files. "These are yours. Please get to work, girls."

"This sucks..." Hitomi moaned as she grabbed the topmost file.

"I want to find out if _Charlotte 2nd Season_ will be coming out soon..." Saori groaned as she also grabbed a file. Heaving out a sigh, she flipped it open, looked into its contents...and gasped. "G-G-_Guys_?"

"Why?" Otonashi asked, looking up from his latest file. "Did you find something, Seki- I-I mean, Inoue?" Then, he and everyone else realized her hands were trembling. "In...Inoue...?"

"Saori...?" Hitomi asked.

Finally, Saori turned the file around for the others to see. Once they saw what she saw, everyone's eyes widened.

With absolute horror.

"Oh, my God..." Otonashi said.

"That son of a _bitch_," gasped Fuuta. "He's _actually_ gonna do it..."

In the background, Fuyuhiko saw it too...and though he was snickering maniacally, his pupils were quivering with fear.

* * *

**Yunokawa Household  
** **Current Meeting Place of the Global Awareness Club**

"Is this it?"

"This is it. This is the place."

Naotatsu, Mutsuto, C, and Asahara walked up to the former's house at an urgent pace, with a sad and guilt-ridden Yumie lagging behind. Naotatsu was the first to reach the door and knocked on it over and over again until it finally opened up, revealing...

"Yo, my man!"

"_Tyler_?!" Naotatsu exclaimed incredulously, gawking at his quirky English-speaking friend. "Wh-What...What the hell are you _doing_ here?! I-I thought I texted you saying that all Global Awareness Clubs were canceled until further notice?!"

Tyler was interrupted when Hozumi Karubo sidestepped him and stood between him and Naotatsu.

"Your parents prepared a great big lunch for us and everything," the innocent-looking teenage boy explained. "All of us thought it'd be a big disservice to them if we left it as is!"

"In other words, you stayed for the free food..." Naotatsu deadpanned.

"Pretty much, yeah." Then, Hozumi noticed Naotatsu's disheveled form for the first time. "W-Whoa, wait a minute, what _happened_ to you, man? Did you get mugged or something?" Then, he noticed Mutsuto, C, and Asahara. "Wait, who _are_ these guys?" And then, he noticed the guns. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, how did you get those?! Are-Are those _real_?!"

"Mugged?!" a third voice exclaimed. "Who got mugged?! And what is real again?!"

Naotatsu saw his brother Yuuji run up to the doorway, followed by Rikana Egami and Touya Hamada.

"O-_Onii-san_?!" Yuuji cried. "What...What _happened_ to you?!" Then, he noticed Mutsuto, C, and Asahara as well. "W-Who are _they_?!" And then, he noticed the guns. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, how did you get those?! Are-Are those _real_?!"

"Don't worry about me, Yuuji-kun," Naotatsu replied urgently. "Is the rest of the club here?!"

"Y-_Yeah_, they're all in the kitchen. Why do you-? O-_Onii-san_!"

Naotatsu rushed into the kitchen, followed by the others, and was greeted with a rather unusual sight. Hiroto Sekozawa and Sachiyo Sugisata were apparently engaged in an arm-wrestling competition, while Fuyumi Royama was filming with a handheld camera.

"Fu fu fu," Sachiyo said, sneering malevolently. "Think you can beat a _girl_ at your own game, Sekozawa-kun?"

"No one's ever beaten me at arm wrestling before and this match is gonna be no exception!" shouted Hiroto confidently.

"Ohhhhh man, it looks like it's gonna be _close_!" Royama exclaimed with anticipation as he continued filming. "Whoever will win?! The reigning arm-wrestling champ, Hiroto Sekozawa?! Or the challenger, Sachiyo Sugisata?!"

"REALLY?!" Naotatsu shouted in disbelief. "_ARM WRESTLING_?!"

"AGH!" Hiroto screamed, his voice cracking hilariously as he did. This gave Sachiyo the opportunity to slam his fist down on the surface of the table.

"Never let your guard down, _champion_," she said confidently.

"Wh-Wh-What the _hell_, Naotatsu?! Wh-What the hell took you so long?! And..." Hiroto noticed his friend's disheveled appearance. "What the hell _happened_ to you?!" Then, he noticed Mutsuto, C, and Asahara. "Wait, who are _these_ guys? New members? I don't think we have enough time for an initiation ritual-" That was when he noticed the guns. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, how did you get those?! Are-Are those _real_?!"

"Initiation ritual?" repeated Asahara, his voice growing with outrage. "New members?! _Arm wrestling_?!" He marched up to Hiroto and Sachiyo, who both felt themselves shrinking in their seats. "Are you _really_ gonna concern yourselves with these trivial matters while you remain unaware that there has been a cult member in your ranks this entire goddamn time?!"

...

...

...

"Cult member, in our _club_?" Royama asked with disbelief. "You're joking."

"It's the truth, Royama," Naotatsu replied bitterly. "Matsushina-kun has been with them for quite some time now."

"_Matsushina-kun_?!" Sachiyo cried incredulously. "No way. He...He's not the kind of person to-"

"Ask his sister. She knows."

"Eek!" Yumie squeaked, horrified that Naotatsu was now putting her in the spotlight.

Rikana glared at Yumie. "Is that true?" she asked. "Is your brother with them?"

Yumie scanned every last member of the club sadly and then nodded with regret.

"Y-Y-Y-Yes..." she stuttered.

"Yeah, right!" Hiroto said, rolling his eyes. "I visited Matsushina at his home last week! There was definitely no culty stuff going on in there, not at all!" He glared at Naotatsu. "Look, Naotatsu, I don't know what kind of sick joke you're trying to play on us, but-"

He was cut off when Asahara grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "It's no joke, goddamn it!" he shouted, spit flying out from his mouth. "One of your own has been with that cult for quite some time; I know it for a fact!"

"Aaaaannnnnddddd...what's your role in this story again...?" Hozumi asked, tilting his head with confusion.

"One of the people killed by the cult at that Hashimoto-owned construction site, that was my _father_. My father, the one who raised me... The police couldn't get one step ahead of the killers even if their lives depended on it, so it became my duty to get to the bottom of the cult's business and finish them once and for all!"

"That must sound fun..." Rikana replied sarcastically, just as Touya approached the kitchen table, where his laptop was sitting.

"Look," Naotatsu said, trying his best to be patient, "I know this is outlandish, hearing such a thing from us. But even if you don't believe it, you've gotta believe what I've got to say next."

"And that is...?" Royama asked.

"The cult...they kidnapped Kimiko's siblings. All three of them." Naotatsu gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "I saw it all...and I couldn't stop it. I...I couldn't protect them..."

"That's impossible!" Sachiyo replied. "I thought you said Kimiko was under police protection! How in the hell did those cultists get past the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department?!"

"Unbelievable, I tell you!" Tyler cried, doing a dance move in the process.

"They sneaked out. That's why they were vulnerable."

"I can vouch for his story!" Mutsuto added. "It definitely happened; I tried to help out!"

"I still believe it's a whole bunch of BS," replied Royama. "I swear, Naotatsu-"

"It's the truth," C interrupted coolly. "You have to believe us."

"I believe you, I really do!" Royama suddenly exclaimed, immediately recognizing the girl he became infatuated with in Chiba.

"You pervert," Sachiyo spat.

"How foolish," C added flatly.

"I don't know what you're getting at, Naotatsu, but-" began Hiroto.

Naotatsu completely lost it. "I'M TELLING THE TRUTH! THE CULT HAS KIMIKO'S SIBLINGS AND PROBABLY KNOWS WHAT WE'RE ALL UP TO RIGHT NOW!"

"Do you have any actual _proof_ that this happened?" Rikana asked, her brow furrowed with suspicion. "Other than your word, the word of a bunch of strangers, and your dirty clothes?"

Naotatsu was about to respond when Touya did. "It's no joke, guys."

...

"Say wha?" Hiroto asked blankly.

"I looked it up on the Internet, just in case," Touya replied. He stood up, retrieved a remote from the kitchen table, and aimed it at the TV. "It should be all over the news right about now..."

He turned on the TV and switched to a news channel. All of the teenagers watched as two news anchors reported live before an image of the Nishimura household.

_**"The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has announced the unfortunate kidnappings of three children in broad daylight,"**_ one of the news anchors announced. _**"The chief has confirmed that the cult responsible for a series of horrific murders throughout Japan is their prime suspect."**_

_**"The kidnappings are suspected to have occurred sometime after noon, shortly before officers reported the children missing,"**_ explained the other anchor. _**"The house where the children lived was under massive police protection at the time, due to the eldest daughter being a witness to the cult's earlier attack on the manor of Sadahiro Hashimoto, famed Tokyo businessman."**_

"Oh, my God..." Rikana breathed out in horror. "Kimiko..."

"Well, unless you paid off the news station bug time, Naotatsu," Hiroto said, "this ain't a joke..." He was then met with furious glares from both Naotatsu and Asahara. "S-Sorry..."

_**"These kidnappings come just hours after confirmed reports that cultists managed to bypass the protective details on Hashimoto and kidnap him,"**_ the first anchor continued. _**"In addition, there are unconfirmed reports that two other witnesses to the Hashimoto Manor attack have gone missing. There are also multiple reports coming in of multiple shots fired at the headquarters of Hashimoto Communications, which have left several people injured, including a police investigator."**_

_**"Because the attack sites were all under police**_**_ protection,"_** said the second anchor, _**"t****his led to suspicions that cultists have infiltrated the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The chief denied the possibility, calling it unfounded speculation.**_

_ **"Despite this, there have been several high-profile criticisms from politicians about the effectiveness of the investigation, as well as massive protests all over the country, and even in neighboring countries such as South Korea and the Philippines, who have also started feeling the cult's influence."** _

_ **"** _ _ **The deluge of reports has left the public wondering if there is a final standoff now underway with the cult. As a result, there are concerns of a final attack by the cult. Due to these concerns, ** _ _ **the Prime Minister has issued a-"** _

Touya turned off the TV before the group could learn anything further. He set down the remote and turned towards the others.

"This is bad," he said. "If what Naotatsu said about Kimiko's sisters and brother are true, then that means-"

"Matsushina _is_ a member of that cult," Sachiyo completed.

"Damn," Hiroto replied, looking down at the floor with disbelief.

"And _that_ means the cult has inside knowledge of where we live. Who our families are. Where we meet."

Yuuji gulped and fearfully looked over his shoulder, towards the front door. Realizing it wasn't yet closed, he ran up to the doorway, peered his head out for a bit, and then closed the door and locked it.

"Wh-Wh-What'll we do?" he asked. "T-That cult could be w-w-watching us at any moment!"

"What would the cult want from us?" Hiroto asked. "We didn't do anything to them! Nothing at all!"

"Yeah, we did..." Naotatsu replied gravely. "Kimiko wanted to investigate Sadahiro Hashimoto for excessively reporting on the cult. It's something Matsushina overheard. By challenging the amount of news coverage on them, we were put in the cult's crosshairs. After all, the only reason all of Japan fears them is because the news _always_ reports on each and every one of their newest crimes. If the news stations stopped doing that because of our hand, then the cult wouldn't feel so important."

"So, in other words," Rikana said, "they felt threatened by us."

"And what we were standing for," spat Royama.

"Pretty much, yeah," Mutsuto replied.

"S-S-So what'll we do n-n-now?" Hozumi asked, his voice trembling fearfully. "D-D-Does th-that mean th-th-the c-c-cult knows wh-where our families live?"

Everyone's heads turned towards Naotatsu, whose eyes were closed and his brow furrowed as he began mulling over the club's next move. Finally, after a minute of his silence, he opened his eyes and stared at his fellow club members with a look of determination.

"I know what we're NOT going to do," the blue-haired boy replied, "and that's stand around here wetting our pants and checking every little corner. If the cult has tabs on all of us and is gonna do something about us, then we're not going to give in to their methods! We as the Global Awareness Club have come up against people bigger than them!"

"That's because those were _corporations_," deadpanned Sachiyo. "Those people may have thought they were all high and mighty, but they would never have terrorized us and our families to get us to back off. But this is a completely different matter, Naotatsu-kun. We're talking about a _cult_!"

"A freaking cult of _killers_!" wheezed an exasperated Royama.

"Maybe so," Naotatsu said, "but they're still no different than what we have faced before. If the cult insists on having a fight with us, then they'll have it! We just need to be on our guard at all times." He looked around the kitchen, noticing all of the reluctant and fearful reactions. "Come on, guys, what would Kimiko say if she were here?"

...

"She'd probably ask if those guns were real..." Hozumi replied, still staring at Naotatsu's gun.

"Shit just got real, man!" Tyler randomly exclaimed.

* * *

**Nishimura Household**

"Oh God, I hope Naotatsu and the others don't see the news..."

Kimiko peeked her head through the drawn curtain, watching as a line of police officers shielded her house from the view of a mob of reporters. After a couple of seconds, she withdrew her head from the curtain and turned around to look at a policeman who was standing a few feet away from her, in the living room.

"Why do you say that, Nishimura?" he asked.

"Well," the magenta-haired girl replied, "if they see all those news reports about my siblings' kidnappings, they're gonna try and be heroes by going after the cult themselves! It'll be the stupidest move they ever make!"

The officer blinked. "Are you sure that's what they would try to do?"

"Damn right, I am! I mean..." She blushed a little and started twiddling her fingers. "They care for me. B-But of course they do! I'm their club leader! I motivate them! An-And they're probably a little too damn eager to repay me for all that motivation..."

"I see." The officer's brow became furrowed. "Do...Do you want us to go check on your friends, see if they're not up to anything foolish?"

Kimiko's eyes suddenly shone with wonder. "You'd do that, Policeman-san?!"

"Well, you claim that a group of teenagers are going out to confront that cult by themselves. With public safety on the line even more than ever, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department needs to take all such reports seriously."

"Yes, please!" the teenager suddenly exclaimed. "Please go check on my friends!"

"Alright." The officer took out a notepad and a black pen. "What are their names and addresses?"

It took a full half-hour for Kimiko to name all of the Global Awareness Club members and list their addresses. She also made sure to provide addresses of other potential club meeting locations. To the officer's complete surprise, she threw in more than a few off-topic remarks, but chose to ignore them as he adhered to his duties. Once he was done, he bowed his head at Kimiko.

"I promise you, Nishimura," he said, "we'll make sure our welfare checks are quick and efficient."

"Oh, don't hurry," replied Kimiko.

The officer nodded and quickly left the living room. Once it was clear that he was gone, Kimiko smirked devilishly and dashed up the stairs.

_"Stupid cops,"_ she thought. _"They're either too lazy or so devoted to their jobs that they're super-gullible! You can never find an actual good cop these days..."_

The magenta-haired girl ran into her bedroom, which was directly next to the master bedroom, and pulled out a heavy backpack that seemed to make soft clattering noises as she moved it. After she hoisted the straps over her shoulders and tightened them, she heard her father speaking outside. Intrigued, Kimiko approached her window and opened the closed blinds a little, giving her a peek outside.

Standing in the front yard was Youichirou, who stood before a row of microphones. Reporters were congregated before him, snapping photos and aiming their own microphones at him.

"I am...I am Youichirou Nishimura," the man announced, his voice broken, his posture too stiff. "My...My youngest three children, Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei, are all missing. The police keep saying they're still looking into who...or what might be responsible, but I know, from the bottom of my heart, that the cult is responsible."

The man took a deep breath, and then another one as he struggled to hold back tears. "M-My family has suffered too much these past few years. First my wife, the beloved mother of my children, was killed in cold blood during a robbery, then my eldest child witnessed a very horrific attack by the same cult, and now this. I...I-I just can't bear the thought of losing my children to the hands of sick people again. Pl-Please, if the public has _any_ information about the kidnappings, anything at all, then I beg you, I _beg_ of you, to contact the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. ...I beg of you."

He fell silent, giving the reporters ample opportunity to bombard him with questions.

"Nishimura-san!" one reporter cried. "Do you have anything to say about the effectiveness of your police protection?"

"What do you mean your wife was killed during a robbery?!" asked another reporter.

"Nishimura-san, Nishimura-san!" a third reporter called. "Do you have anything to say to the cult if they're watching?!"

Youichirou's skin paled at that last question, prompting a police sergeant to step towards the microphones and gruffly say in response, "Alright, question time is over, everyone. Back out of here now or I'll-"

"It's alright," Youichirou suddenly interrupted. "I'll answer that one."

"What?!" the sergeant exclaimed. "But Nishimura-san-"

The sergeant was cut off when Youichirou approached the microphones again and said, "If you're watching, members of whatever you want to call yourselves..." His lip quivered a little before he recomposed himself. "I know you know you're behind this. You have my _children_. And I just want to say- no, I ask of you, out of nothing but pure desperation...I'll do anything you want." His voice choked at the last few words. "Please, I'll do anything! Anything you wish! As long as you guarantee the safe return of my children, I'll do it without hesitation! I...I'll do _anything_..."

Youichirou collapsed to his knees and finally began sobbing, prompting two officers to half-drag him away from all of the flashing lights and insensitive questions. As they did, Kimiko watched from the safety of her bedroom, teary-eyed.

"Oh, Dad..." she said, her voice full of regret. "I'm sorry. But...I've _gotta_ do this...for Mom..."

* * *

**Unknown location**

_ **"If you're watching, members of whatever you want to call yourselves... I know you know you're behind this. You have my children. And I just want to say- no, I ask of you, out of nothing but pure desperation...I'll do anything you want. ...Please, I'll do anything! Anything you wish! As long as you guarantee the safe return of my children, I'll do it without hesitation! I...I'll do anything..."** _

Sadahiro Hashimoto's lips curved into a devious grin as he watched Youichirou sink to his knees and burst out in tears, all on live television. Standing right behind him were two fellow businessmen, who were also smiling sadistically as they watched the live report.

"All is going according to plan..." he said.

"Indeed it is, Hashimoto-sama," one of the businessmen replied. "Japan is starting to become _very_ afraid now. Watch."

He raised a remote and switched the channel to another news station. Two certain news anchors were standing before a live image of the Tokyo skyline, both wearing grave expressions on their faces.

_**"**__**The deluge of reports has left the public wondering if there is a final standoff now underway with the cult,"** _one of the anchors said._** "As a result, there are concerns of a final attack by the cult. Due to these concerns, **__**the Prime Minister has issued an urgent J-Alert throughout the country, with people in the Greater Tokyo Area in particular being advised to be aware of their surroundings, especially in public places."**_

_**"The Japan Self-Defense Forces and the United States Armed Forces stationed in Japan are all on standby until further notice,"**_ added the other anchor. _**"All schools in the Greater Tokyo Area have also been canceled for the rest of the week."**_

Sadahiro's associate turned off the TV before the report could continue, allowing the businessman to breath out a deep sigh of relief.

"Japan is where we want them to be..." he said. "In the grip of _fear_. Soon..._soon_, once we carry out the final phase of our plan, the country will learn to rediscover its strength..." Then, Sadahiro's brow furrowed with rising anger. "If only our operation wasn't interfered with hours ago..."

"The incident at your office building was very unfortunate," Sadahiro's other associate replied as he shook his head. "But rest assured, the cult is searching for your daughter as we speak. And when they find her, they'll make sure they don't let her out of their sights ever again."

"I sure hope so..." Sadahiro turned around to glare at his two accomplices. "For _your_ sake."

"YOU'RE...YOU'RE A BAD MAN!"

Sadahiro glared at Kaisei, who was boldly sticking out his tongue at him. Right now, the boy was tied together with his older sisters by rope, and there were two security cameras aimed at them at all times.

"I beg your pardon, young man?" the businessman asked.

"You heard me!" Kaisei shouted. "You're a bad, bad, BAD man! And my onee-chan and her friends are gonna kick your butts! Do you hear me?! They're gonna kick. Your. Sorry. BUTTS!"

"Heh heh heh...your onee-chan and her friends..." Sadahiro walked up to the three siblings, pulled out a plastic chair, and sat down on it. "Do you know what, young man? Your onee-chan and her friends are the reason why you are here today. You _and_ your sisters."

"What're you talking about?!" snapped Tamika.

"One of her friends is with me, and he told me that she was going to challenge the way my company has been reporting on this...organization of mine."

"What, so you got triggered and decided to do something about it?" Naomi asked, rolling her eyes. "Talk about childish-"

"It wasn't childish," Sadahiro interrupted, his voice particularly smug. "It actually..._inspired_ me. After all, part of my plan was to paint myself as a target for my own organization, so the police would never suspect me of pulling the strings all along. You see, I was initially planning on creating a character who would defect from the cult and come to my reporters with a very big exposé that would jeopardize the cult's future activities. As a result, the cult would naturally focus on my entire business. Including me.

"But then, when I heard what your sister was planning on doing, I decided to apply that to my plan instead. That way, I would look even more valiant to the eyes of the public. And when the masses see how my entire family was targeted by the cult because I wouldn't stand for their ways, they would view me as nothing less than a national hero! And who in their right mind would suspect a hero like me, Sadahiro Hashimoto, being the leader of this operation! It's brilliant! It's ingenious! It's-"

"Blah blah blah," Naomi interrupted. "_Wow_. You sure love to hear yourself talk, mister."

Tamika was pretending to doze off, while Kaisei was yawning loudly. Sadahiro's eyelid twitched at this, but he cleared his throat and straightened his tie.

"I still didn't explain why your onee-chan contributed to your being here today, children," he said.

"Well, we _do_ need you to finish your lullaby, anyway," Tamika replied mockingly.

Sadahiro's eyelid twitched again, before he explained, "She stuck her nose where it didn't belong. And I absolutely could not allow that."

"But my onee-chan was in your home for only a few days! How in the world would she have been able to find anything in that short amount of time?!"

"I could not leave anything to chance. And besides..." The businessman's expression darkened. "She disrespected me. Me, and my way of life." He clenched his fists. "Who the hell does that little girl think she is?! An uncultured commoner like her, a crumb of the masses, looking down upon me and my business?!" His fists started to tremble, and he gritted his teeth. "Does she not know what I had to do, what I had to sacrifice, to achieve success?! DOES SHE NOT KNOW?!"

Tamika and Kaisei were finally terrified by Sadahiro's sudden outburst, and they were both trembling as they watched him seethe with rage. However, Naomi's expression didn't change one bit.

"So, in other words," she replied flatly, "you _were_ triggered." She rolled her eyes. "It figures. If it quacks like one-"

"I WAS NOT TRIGGERED!" Sadahiro roared as he sprung up from his chair. "SHE DISRESPECTED ME! **ME**! THE ONE WHO TOOK HER IN AND TRIED TO TEACH HER THE WAYS OF THE CULTURED UPPER CLASS!" He stomped his foot on the floor so loudly it sounded like a mighty thunderclap. "HOW **DARE** SHE DO THAT TO **ME**?! IN MY OWN **HOUSE**?!"

But Naomi remained undaunted. "Yep. You were definitely triggered."

"Naomi-neechan!" Tamika moaned fearfully, unsure of what Sadahiro would have in store for them as retaliation.

"I WAS **NOT** TRIGGERED!" screeched Sadahiro.

"You sound triggered to me," Naomi replied.

"Naomi-neechan, _please_..." whispered Tamika.

Unfortunately, Naomi didn't let up one bit; in fact, she was smirking with triumph. "Awwwww, do you want your mommy and daddy, Hashimoto-chan?" she asked.

Without warning, Sadahiro picked up his plastic chair and threw it over the three siblings, into one of several file cabinets that had been arranged behind them in a row. The collision echoed throughout the room with a loud clang that nearly split Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei's eardrums. Then, Sadahiro, still red-faced and fuming, ran up to a nearby desk, full of files and photos, and overturned it, spilling its contents onto the floor dramatically.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" one of Sadahiro's associates cried in alarm. "Hashimoto-sama?!"

But Sadahiro didn't stop there. He kicked at the spilled files and photos a couple of times, sending each sheet of paper flying and fluttering in the air like a wraith. He then picked up the fallen lamp that had been on the overturned desk, and threw it into a wall, shattering it into pieces. Then, he ran up to the file cabinets and started overturning several, one by one, filling the room with banging and clanging noises. Next, he picked up his plastic chair and threw it across the room, nearly hitting one of his associates in the process.

"H-Hashimoto-sama, c-calm down!" the man cried in distress. "Th-Those are important files that you're trashing!"

Sadahiro ignored him and walked up to a worktable, which had a variety of tools on it. With a yell, he cleared the table of its contents, not caring that one of them, a pair of scissors, stabbed him in the metacarpal bone of his pinkie. Ignoring the pain that this brought, he glared at the several firearms hanging on the wall and then grabbed one of them, an FN P90 personal defense weapon.

"Naomi-neechan!" Kaisei squealed with horror. "Tamika-neechan!"

Fortunately, Sadahiro didn't use it on him or his sisters. Instead, he forcibly threw it across the room like all the other objects; small metal pieces snapped and flew off the body of the weapon when it landed and skidded across the floor. He did the same with many of the other firearms hanging on the wall, throwing them one by one in multiple directions, not caring if they even misfired upon hitting the ground.

At this point, the businessman was so consumed with rage that he became preoccupied with destroying or overturning everything in sight. And his movements while doing so became more and more pathetic as he went along. Sadahiro even stumbled at some points.

Finally, once the worktable was cleared of its contents, Sadahiro stopped his frenzied rampage and stood there, panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot.

"Uhhhhh...Hashimoto-sama...?" one of Sadahiro's accomplices asked.

Sadahiro continued panting heavily for a few additional minutes. Then, he took a series of deep breaths and flexed his fingers. Once he was done, he looked around, examining the trashed scene. A variety of objects were scattered in all directions, and it looked like a small hurricane had gone through the room.

Then, he glared at the three siblings with conviction.

"I'm. Not. Triggered," he declared calmly.

"Yes, you are," Naomi replied, just as calmly.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"I'm not."

"You so are."

"Am not."

"You're so _triggered_."

"Naomi-neechan, please, _shut up_!" Tamika whispered in distress.

Sadahiro sneered and said, "Yes, Naomi Nishimura, do listen to your little sister and shut your trap." He picked up one of the guns that he threw, a .40-caliber Glock 35 handgun, and aimed it at the siblings. "You seem to forget who's _really_ in charge here."

"Yeah," Naomi replied sarcastically. "An entitled little kid who isn't getting what he wants."

Sadahiro pursed his lips as he raised the gun directly over Naomi's head and pulled the trigger.

_ **BAM!** _

**"_AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH_!"**

Sadahiro dropped the gun's smoldering husk and clutched his bloodied hand. Tamika and Kaisei both looked away, but Naomi merely stifled a mocking giggle.

"HASHIMOTO-SAMA!" both of Sadahiro's companions cried at the same time.

"Don't just stand there, goddamn it!" Sadahiro shouted. "Get a goddamn bandage!"

"On it!" one of the men cried in response, saluting his superior before running off.

As for the other man, he ran up to Sadahiro and examined his wound. It looked rather bad: his entire hand was stained with blood, and there were small metal shards embedded in his palm, fingertips, and wrist.

"Why the hell did that gun explode?!" snapped Sadahiro.

"Well..." the man replied with hesitation, "you _did_ throw it to the floor, Hashimoto-sama. Something inside the gun must have been damaged, and when you pulled the trigger, it led to this."

"Damn it. Damn it all to hell..." The evil businessman glared at the three siblings with narrowed eyes. "Things just aren't going my way today..."

"What're you talking about, Hashimoto-sama? We are close to achieving our final objective!"

"But we're still a few steps behind schedule. My Chouko refuses to bend to my will and has escaped my clutches. It's all that Arata Takahashi's fault..." Sadahiro focused his glare on his accomplice. "When this is treated, I want you to go out and give the go-ahead for the next stage!"

"Th-Th-The _next stage_?"

"Yes, the next stage! Then, I want you to assemble a small squadron, and bring them over here!"

"Wh-Wh-What for?"

"We are retrieving Chouko! She is the most vital part of our plan to bring glory back to Japan, and we cannot allow her to roam freely for any longer! We mustn't allow this setback to affect our progress!" The businessman's eyes narrowed with pure malevolence. "We are getting Chouko back, no matter what!"

* * *

**Yunokawa Household  
** **Current Meeting Place of the Global Awareness Club  
Several minutes later**

The street was surprisingly quiet.

That was Kimiko's first thought when she entered Naotatsu's homely and tranquil-looking neighborhood. She hoped the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department didn't beat her to the location or something. But then again, she didn't even see any movement behind cars or in bushes. And surely at least one officer would've noticed her walking on the sidewalk all alone, without anyone to protect her.

Then again, she _was_ able to convince her protective detail to assign several of their own to check on all of her friends' addresses...

_"Then why in the world is it so quiet here?"_ Kimiko thought hesitantly.

In just a few minutes, Kimiko saw Naotatsu's house. Looking over her shoulder for a moment, she then ran up to the doorway and knocked on it thrice. Immediately after, she heard several familiar voices inside, but they were muffled by the door. But Kimiko could tell the occupants were debating on whether they should answer the door or not.

Seconds later, the door opened, revealing...

An IMI Desert Eagle?! And a Rheinmetall MG 3 LMG?!

...

_"Wait, how do I know the names of those guns?"_ Kimiko thought in confusion.

"Who the hell are you?!" the teenage boy wielding the Desert Eagle shouted. "And what's your business?!"

"M-M-My b-business?!" Kimiko exclaimed in disbelief. "I-I'm Kimiko Nishimura, and my friend lives here! Wh-Who the hell are _you_?!" Then, she stared directly into the barrel of the Desert Eagle. "And how did you get those?! Are-Are those real?!"

"I _told_ you she's gonna ask if those things are real!" another voice cried triumphantly. At that moment, Kimiko saw...

"What're you all _doing_ here?!" she shrieked upon seeing the Global Awareness Club members. "I thought I told Naotatsu that club meetings were canceled until further notice?!"

"I told them that, but-" Naotatsu began.

"Their parents prepared a great big lunch for us and everything," Hozumi interrupted. "And all of us thought it'd be a big disservice to them if we left it as is!"

...

"In other words, you stayed for the free food..." Kimiko deadpanned.

"That's _exactly_ what I said!" Naotatsu replied.

"Look, that's beside the point!" Kimiko entered the house, just as Asahara and Mutsuto lowered their weapons. "Guys, my-"

"Your little sisters and brother have been kidnapped," Rikana interrupted. "We know."

"What?! How?!"

"The news, how else?" Sachiyo replied.

"Plus..." Yuuji added hesitantly, "Onii-san saw the whole thing go down personally..."

"_What_?!" Kimiko whipped her head at Naotatsu's direction; the blue-haired boy was looking down at the floor glumly. "Is this true...?"

Naotatsu pursed his lips, then he replied, "Yeah..."

"How?! How'd you see it?!"

"They sneaked out of your house, Kimiko. Naomi was taking Tamika to her kendo practice." Naotatsu flinched a little at Kimiko's paling face, but he continued, "I found them in the middle of the city. I chased them into an alleyway, where... Where..." He choked on his own voice for a little, and then said, "I...I tried to protect them, Kimiko-"

"Look, it's okay."

The boy looked at his friend with bewilderment. "What?"

"I said it's okay. I...I'm sure you tried your best. I'm not mad at you for that."

The color started returning to Naotatsu's face. "You're...You're not...?"

Kimiko hesitated for a bit. "Well...I'm mad, yes, but I'm not mad _at_ you. I can't vent my rage at you, Naotatsu, when all you've been doing was trying to help. L-Look, the real people to blame are those cultists." She then clenched her fists with determination. "And that's why I'm here."

"Say what?" Royama asked, confused.

"I was hoping to recruit Naotatsu, but since you're all here...the more, the merrier, I guess."

"Recruit me for what?" Naotatsu asked.

Kimiko narrowed her green eyes. "Finding my siblings."

The room was immediately filled with various voices.

"Finding your _siblings_?!" Hiroto exclaimed. "That's _crazy_!"

"Are you out of your _mind_, Kimiko?!" Rikana asked in disbelief.

"Th-This is unreasonable, even for you!" cried Hozumi.

"Super-duper unreasonable!" Tyler proclaimed.

"Where the hell are you even gonna start?!" Royama asked.

"Look, guys, I know this sounds crazy," Kimiko replied, settling down the clamor, "but the police are definitely not gonna resolve the situation on their own. Too much has happened already and the cult keeps coming out on top! But I am NOT gonna let my little sisters and brother suffer for it! I am NOT gonna let them be the next victims! I am gonna go and get them, but I can't do it on my own." She scanned her entire club, plus the strange newcomers. "You've all been with me since the very beginning of this thing, and I _know_, deep from the bottom of my heart, that you wanna see this through as well."

"Well," Hiroto said, "we already concluded that the cult would be coming to us. But we didn't agree on taking the fight _to_ them! That's a whole different ballgame!"

"What? Wh-Why would the cult be coming to you?"

"Because you've all been duped by them from the start," Mutsuto replied.

Kimiko glared at the unfamiliar stocky boy. "Come again?"

Asahara pointed accusingly at Yumie, who was the only club member in the room who didn't speak.

"Her brother is with that cult," he spat in response.

"What? Ginga? No way. That's not true, right guys?" Kimiko then noticed the glum looks on the faces of her fellow club members. "G-_Guys_?"

"It's true, Kimiko," Naotatsu replied.

"What?! You're joking, right?!"

"Does it look like we are?" Sachiyo asked, her voice serious.

Horrified at the revelation, Kimiko looked at Yumie next.

"Yumie, is...is this true?!" she asked. When Yumie sadly and silently nodded her head, Kimiko's face turned pale as she mulled over the implications of this. "Is...Is this why you guys are armed?"

"Yeah," Mutsuto replied, raising his light machine gun for the girl to see. "We snatched these guns from some cultists we beat up. They should be enough to guarantee a good home defense."

Kimiko cast a glance at Mutsuto, C, and Asahara. "Aaaaannnnnddddd...who in God's name are _you_ guys?"

"Some friends of his from Chiba," Mutsuto replied, pointing his thumb at Naotatsu.

"_Chiba_?"

Kimiko looked at Naotatsu, who simply replied, "It's a long story..."

"I happen to be someone who has a score to settle with the cult..." snarled Asahara.

"A...A _score_...?" Kimiko repeated with concern.

"It's nothing that should concern you." Asahara raised his Desert Eagle and cocked it, much to Kimiko's surprise. "If you want to take the fight to the cult, then you can count me in. I'm not gonna sit around in this damn house and wait for those bozos to come bursting through the front door."

"W-Well...it's...it's nice to have someone who agrees with this course of action." Kimiko then looked at the others. "Look, guys, I know that I'm asking you to do something that's _extremely_ dangerous. But we all know how serious this cult is, and how lazy the police are! Plus, I don't know what happened to Igarashi-sama, so I'm now on my own. I _need_ you all to help me with this!" When she noticed the ambivalence of the others, she pleaded, "_Please_! You've already prepared yourselves for an attack, so you all might as well put your skills to good use!"

"What skills?!" asked Royama.

"Your skills at doing the right thing." Kimiko bit her lip as she fought back tears. "_Please_, everyone. For my sisters and brother..."

Everyone looked amongst each other for a couple of minutes, their hesitant expressions unwavering. Finally, after an awkward silence, Naotatsu stepped forward.

"I'm in," he said.

"O-_Onii-san_?!" Yuuji exclaimed.

"Yuuji, I was unable to protect Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei back then." Naotatsu clenched his fists. "If I do nothing about it now and something happens to them, I'll...I'll _never_ forgive myself..."

"But what if something happens to _you_?!"

Naotatsu looked down at his gun confidently. "Something tells me I'll be fine, Yuuji. Don't worry..."

"Well, if you're in, man, then we're in too!" Mutsuto cried in response, stepping forward alongside C. "We know our way around the streets of Tokyo, so we'll be your human maps!"

"What he said..." C added quietly.

"I'm in too!" Royama cried, trying his best to look heroic in front of C. "I-I mean, y'all need a strong guy like me to cover your asses! As long as I have a gun like yours, we'll be in the clear-"

"Something tells me you shouldn't even be trusted with a toy gun," Mutsuto interrupted in a flat voice.

"I can be trusted with a gun! All you have to do is shoot and aim, right?!"

...

...

...

"You can come, Royama, if you're so desperate to," Kimiko deadpanned, "but you're NOT getting a gun."

"Aw, fine!" The redheaded teenage boy stepped beside C, trying to ogle her figure with the corner of his eye. "I'll just use my fantastic martial arts skills!"

"You don't know martial arts," C remarked with brutal honesty.

"Yes, I do! I even have a signature move!"

"A signature move. Impressive. And what move is that?"

"This! ACK!"

Royama tried to grab C's arms, but the ninja girl flipped him over and slammed him to the carpeted floor with his arms pinned behind his back.

"How foolish..." she said.

"I guess we're in too," Hiroto remarked as he, Rikana, Hozumi, Sachiyo, and Tyler stepped forward. "I mean, Royama's gonna get himself killed as soon as he meets that cult, so we might as well help in watching all of your backs."

"Hey!" Royama exclaimed, affronted. "I resent that remark!"

"Then I'm going too!" Yuuji proclaimed.

However, Naotatsu placed a hand on his shoulder. "No, Yuuji!" he replied seriously. "I lost Kimiko's siblings to that cult! I'm sure not as hell gonna lose you too! You stay here with Touya!"

"What?! No way!"

"Yes way! This is out of your league!"

"This is out of _your_ league too, Onii-san!"

Naotatsu's eyes narrowed. "Maybe so, but I need to make up for a really colossal failure. This is my responsibility, Yuuji, not yours."

Yuuji's eyes narrowed as well. "Are you sure this is about Kimiko's sisters and brother?!"

Naotatsu's eyes narrowed even more, and Kimiko knew that he was thinking about his late sister. Then, the blue-haired boy replied, "I know what you're trying to do. And trust me, it's even more of a good reason for you to stay here. Touya will be our researcher; he'll be coordinating our movements from here. Speaking of which, where the hell is Touya?"

At that moment, Kimiko realized that Touya had been conspicuously absent from the conversation.

"Here," a voice said.

Everyone looked towards Touya Hamada, who was standing in the kitchen with his laptop...and there was a very grave expression on his face.

"What's wrong, Touya?" asked Kimiko.

...

"You."

The girl's eyes widened. "M-_Me_?"

Touya nodded. "I'm looking at an online news article right now. They just noticed your disappearance, Kimiko."

"And this is bad news because...?" Hiroto asked.

"They think it's the work of the cult."

"Oh, you've gotta be KIDDING me!" Kimiko shrieked as she slapped her forehead in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter, Kimiko. While you were gone, it appears that the cult set huge fires in at least seven Tokyo train stations. No one died, fortunately, but the public's now in even more of a panic." The club researcher's eyes narrowed. The government is ordering a shelter in place throughout Tokyo."

Kimiko's eyes widened as she realized exactly why the neighborhood seemed so empty.

* * *

**Nishitōkyōchūō General Hospital  
** **Nishitōkyō, Japan**

_ **"All of Tokyo is descending deeper into a state of panic, as firefighters rush to put out the blazes that have affected seven different train stations throughout the city. Transportation in Tokyo has been brought to an absolutely chilling standstill, and the number of injuries is expected to be in the hundreds. Fortunately, no fatalities are expected."** _

From the comfort of his hospital bed, Igarashi watched the TV set intently. It didn't matter if he had just gotten out of emergency surgery and had a ventilation mask over his mouth, as well as IV tubes protruding from his arms and flowing into a machine. He was going to follow this news, whether anyone liked it or not.

At the corner of his eye, Igarashi saw Kuramoto, who was also watching the TV set. The lower-ranking officer had not yet noticed the recovery of his sergeant.

_**"An investigation into the fires is now underway, but the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has shared their confidence that the cult is responsible,"**_ explained the reporter, whose expression looked extremely grave and concerned. _**"This hereby makes it one of the worst attacks in the history of postwar Japan."**_

"Dear God..." Kuramoto breathed out in disbelief.

_ **"As a result of these seemingly coordinated arson attacks, the Prime Minister has now issued a shelter-in-place protocol for all of Tokyo. Everyone is advised to find shelter anywhere and remain there until further notice. The citizens are encouraged to find shelter in numbers and in public, non-abandoned buildings. They are also encouraged to be on the lookout for anything even remotely alarming."** _

"Huh. I guess we don't have to worry about finding a place to stay at, eh, Igarashi-sama...?" Kuramoto asked, unaware that his superior had actually regained consciousness.

Igarashi narrowed his eyes at the TV. "What do you have planned now, you egotistical bastard...?" he croaked to himself.

* * *

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this, ladies and gentlemen, concludes the story's longest chapter yet! A lot is happening at a fast pace now, and more things are starting to fall together! Whatever will happen next?!
> 
> Alright, now I want to clarify something. As you can obviously tell, the Global Awareness Club is the real-world version of the SSS. But if you've been paying attention to their scenes in this chapter and others, I think you'll realize that some of its members don't seem to belong. Like they're extras or something.
> 
> That's because...they're complete, unadulterated OCs. They're not reincarnated versions of characters you know in the actual anime. Now, I leave it up to you, the readers, to figure out which members are reincarnated SSS members and which members are complete OCs. Some answers may be easier to reach than others. Let's see if any of you figure out who is who by the time the next chapter should be rolling around.
> 
> Have fun, you guys!
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	24. ...Back Together..., Part 2 of 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, everyone, yet another amazing chapter! And I will say, with the previous chapter laying out all of the stakes for the remainder of this fic, this chapter will serve to show how high these stakes are! ;)
> 
> ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 22: ...BACK TOGETHER..., PART 2 OF 3**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

Takeyama -_ Touya Hamada_

Fujimaki - _Fuyuhiko Ezakiya_

Chaa - _Chazawa_

* * *

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

* * *

** _"Takaha..."_ **

** _"Look at who... here..."_ **

** _"...ko!"_ **

** _"...love a figh..."_ **

** _"Oof! Agh! Ack!"_ **

** _"...not hurt him!"_ **

** _"...hashi!"_ **

** _"...here to hel..."_ **

** _"Please... -er go..."_ **

** _"Keep him al..."_ **

**_"...mighty _Ka_..."_**

** _"No..."_ **

He didn't know what had happened.

First, he didn't see, hear, smell, feel, or even taste anything for the longest time; a serene feeling of emptiness. Then, he was lying on the hard ground, with his arms spread all the way out like an idiot. As soon as his eyelids flew open, all five of his senses returned to him at once, as if nothing had happened to them in the first place.

The first thing he saw was a cloudy, starry sky. The moon was shining brightly, though the growing, looming clouds were threatening to block it from view very soon.

"Where am I...?" he asked. Then, he turned his head to the side, taking a look at his surroundings. "What happened...?"

It looked like he was in some sort of elite preparatory school. There were buildings, usually three-story ones, and some sheds scattered around within immediate view, and there were a number of trees and shrubs lining their perimeters. In the distance, there was a forest so vast it was more like a choppy sea of green. There were no lights on at all, just the pale moonlight that was starting to fade.

He looked back up at the sky. There was a huge clearing in the bank of clouds, giving him a full view of the twinkling stars.

"Can't remember a thing..." he said to thin air.

He spent the next few seconds absorbing the strange sight and the strange surroundings. He didn't even try to process the reality of the situation, or think of a reasonable explanation as to why he ended up in this exact position. Just then, he spoke again.

"You up yet?"

He blinked in shock. His lips didn't move...but he definitely heard his own voice.

With a gasp of surprise, he sat up and was greeted with the strangest sight of all: himself. ...Only...he could tell it wasn't himself at the same time. It was him, and yet, it wasn't him at the same time. He knew that was the stupidest, craziest identification in the history of man, but that's what he felt. No other words could describe it.

"W-Wh-Who the hell are you?!" he snapped, scrambling a few feet away from his other.

The boy blinked, and then, he replied, "I'm Otonashi. Yuzuru Otonashi."

** _"Have you ever heard of the name Yuzuru Otonashi?"_ **

Something was returning to his head...a vague memory... He struggled to recall more, cursing his brain for being awfully slow for whatever reason...

** _"That's why she was able to see the cherry blossoms bloom in the first place. All because of Yuzuru Otonashi's heart, in both the literal and figurative sense."_ **

Something was coming back to him... Something very important, something very crucial...

**_"Tachibana-san, I take it what you're saying is that..._I'm_ Yuzuru Otonashi..._reborn_?"_**

Upon remembering that, the floodgates were opened, and Arata Takahashi's mind was bursting with the sudden return of important memories, like a body of water flowing violently into an empty basin. Memories of his strange first meetings of Chouko Hashimoto and Kimiko Nishimura, his brief and ill-fated stay at the Hashimoto Manor, the sensation of loss and emptiness after separating from Chouko, the stunning revelation that he was actually someone else reincarnated...

"You must be Arata Takahashi," Otonashi said. He stepped forward and held out a hand. "Let me help you-"

"G-Get away from me!" Takahashi abruptly shouted. He shot up on his feet and went into a defensive stance.

Otonashi blinked with surprise and withdrew his hand. "Why? What's wrong, Takahashi?"

"Y-You... _You're_ the bastard who's been in my head all this time?!" Takahashi raised a trembling index finger and pointed at his doppelganger accusingly. "You... _You_... _Damn_ you!"

At that moment, Otonashi realized what the problem was. He promptly looked down at the floor forlornly, the darkness of the night casting his face in complete shadow.

"I'm sorry if I caused you any problems..." he replied sincerely.

"What the hell did you do to me?!" Takahashi began looking around frantically. "Where the hell am I?! Where'd you take me?! Am I still in Tokyo or what?!"

Otonashi raised his head. "I didn't do anything. I swear."

"Then explain THIS!" Takahashi held his arms out wide, gesturing to the entire location. "What is this place?!"

Otonashi looked around, and his burgundy eyes slowly widened with surprise, recognition...and a little nostalgia.

"It's...the school..." he replied distantly.

"_School_?" Takahashi repeated. "What school?!"

"The school all teens go to when-" Otonashi paused for a second and seemed to reconsider the topic, for he then said, "Never mind. I know this place, and it's nothing to be alarmed of."

"Nothing to be alarmed of?!" Takahashi's own burgundy eyes bulged with disbelief. "Nothing to be _alarmed_ of?! I don't freaking _know_ this school! I don't know why the hell I'm here! And I don't know why _you're_ here if I'm _you_ reincarnated! That's THREE things to be alarmed of!"

"Well, you're actually _not_ at a school-" began Otonashi.

"But...BUT YOU JUST SAID-!"

"This is all just an illusion. A manifestation of some small part of your brain."

"Some small part of my _brain_?" Takahashi looked around again, but this time, he was calmer and beset with wonder and puzzlement. "_This_ is all in my brain...?"

"Yes. It's what I assume to be the safe space that harbors my soul, my identity. It just took on the image of this school because this is the location I am most familiar with."

Upon processing this revelation, Takahashi slowly glared at Otonashi. His eyes were smoldering with a silent fury.

"Get out. Now."

Otonashi blinked. "What?"

"I want you to get out of my head, out of my mind, out of my goddamn body right now! I don't want a single goddamn SPECK of you left!"

Otonashi blinked again. "Takahashi, I-"

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU WERE A GODDAMN HERO IN YOUR LIFETIME!" Takahashi took a step forward, his fists clenched and trembling. "_YOU_...YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO BUTT INTO MY LIFE THE WAY YOU DID! I DON'T CARE IF IT SUCKED AND I WANTED SOMETHING BETTER! I JUST...I JUST WANTED TO LIVE MY LIFE **MY** WAY, BY **MY** RULES! BUT NOW I'M STUCK IN THIS...THIS...WHATEVER THIS IS! ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! AND I'M SICK OF IT NOW! IT'S NOT FAIR! YOU ARE _**NOT**_ ME!"

Otonashi's gaze softened. "I'm sorry, Takahashi. I...I truly am. I swear, I am not in control of what's happening. And I _certainly_ didn't ask for any of this-"

"HA!" Takahashi interrupted, pointing at him again. "Of course you'd say that! You're a nice guy, from what I've heard! _Always_ the boy scout! _Always_ having the higher moral ground! Well, guess what? _**I**_ didn't ask for any of this either, and regardless of whether you're in control or not, it certainly looks like you're comfortable with this, otherwise I wouldn't be stuck in this imaginary oasis!" He chuckled, almost maniacally so, and ran a hand through his crimson hair. "You know what I just realized?! You're no hero! If you had even an iota of concern for me, you'd be finding a way to get me out of this mess and back to my old life!"

Otonashi's eyes narrowed at Takahashi's attitude. He understood why he was so angry, but this reaction was on a whole different level. Takahashi was being so shortsighted and stubbornly oblivious to his actual efforts.

"I _do_ care about you, and I _am_ trying to find a way to solve this problem!" he shouted. "But like you, I don't understand any of this, so you just need to give me time!"

"Oh, you need time? You need _time_? How much time do you need, Otonashi? A few hours? A couple of days? A week? A month? A whole _year_, perhaps?! Maybe I should be lenient and give you a whole goddamn decade-"

Otonashi clenched his fists in frustration. "Look, you don't have to be such an asshole about it-"

"Oh, I'm the asshole? _I'm_ the asshole?! Who's the one controlling my body right now?! It ain't God, that's for damn sure! Oh, I remember! It's Japan's beloved hero of 2010, the train boy, Yuzuru Otonashi! Rejoice, for he's back from the dead, and at your service! He'll solve _all_ your problems! He just needs some _time_! As long as you give your time and your body to him, he'll find a way!" Takahashi chuckled you again. "You know what, Otonashi?! Fuck you. _**FUCK YOU**_**!**"

As he ranted and raved, Takahashi began to realize what he was saying. He had never felt so angry before. He never even cursed so strongly before! His soul was literally consumed with the flames of rage and hatred, all directed at the redhead who now possessed his body. But he couldn't blame himself. After all, Otonashi, he realized, was literally the personification of everything he hated in his life: products of past generations, outdated and pragmatically useless, yet something that today's society just couldn't bring itself to pick up and throw away.

And he was supposed to entrust his life, his well-being to this guy?! How in heaven's name could he?! Especially when this guy was miraculously brought back to life and had every opportunity to make the best of it...

Once it was clear that Takahashi had said his piece, Otonashi replied, "So...is that what you're going to do about it? Yell a whole bunch of curse words at me, without even listening to me? Act like a little child and complain about this whole mess, without even trying to figure out what _you _can do to solve it?"

"Trust me, Otonashi," Takahashi said dryly, "that's how I get on with my life."

Otonashi arched an eyebrow. "Really...? And you want to go back to _that_? A life that you despise, where you whine and complain and mope?!"

Takahashi looked away yet again. "Look, just because my life doesn't sound like the best life in the world doesn't mean I hate it with every fiber of my being."

"And yet, from what I've observed from the people that you know, that's _exactly_ what you felt about your life."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Otonashi hesitated for a brief moment, unsure if he should share any sensitive details or not. Then, he decided to speak again.

"I'm with Hasumi and her friends right now. They had...a lot of things to say about you-"

Takahashi flicked his head at Otonashi's direction. "You..._talked_ to them?!"

"Yeah. They know what's happening right now. They-"

"YOU TOLD THEM **EVERYTHING**?!"

Takahashi didn't even want to imagine what Hasumi and her close-knit group of friends were thinking of him right now, what with all of the outlandish yet true things Otonashi must've told them. One thing was for sure.

Hasumi would _never_ want to be within a mile of him ever again.

"Look, Takahashi," Otonashi said, "they bel-"

"You _bastard_..." Takahashi's vision suddenly went red. "YOU GODDAMN **BASTARD**!"

Before Otonashi could try to assuage Takahashi, the other redhead charged forward and tackled his past self. Both boys in the air for a couple of seconds (which felt like an hour to both of them) before they then tumbled down a long flight of stairs. Though it hurt a lot for both of them, each and every impact didn't seem to inflict anything worse than a bruise for some strange reason.

When the two landed at the bottom of the stairs, Otonashi tried to get up, but Takahashi was quicker.

**"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"** Takahashi screeched madly as he kicked Otonashi in the face.

"OOF!"

Otonashi fell hard on his back, stunned. Though he felt like his nose should've been broken from that kick, he didn't feel anything misshapen, just an annoying stinging sensation. He tried to get up, but Takahashi kicked him in the stomach. Then, the other redhead pinned his arms down with his kneecaps, grabbed Otonashi's neck, and started squeezing hard. As he felt his lungs desperately strain more and more for oxygen by the second, a gagging Otonashi looked up and saw the look blazing in Takahashi's eyes. It was a mix of emotions.

Confusion. Ambivalence. Fear. Near-insanity.

But most of all...unbridled rage.

It was..._disturbing_, to say the least, seeing yourself looking so beset with a variety of emotions at once.

**"WE BOTH WANT A SOLUTION TO THIS DILEMMA, HUH?!"** Takahashi shrieked, spit flying out of his mouth as his burgundy eyes became bloodshot. **"WELL, MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST _DIE_! MAYBE _THAT'S_ OUR SOLUTION! SO I THINK I'LL JUST _KILL_ YOU!"**

Takahashi squeezed harder and harder, letting out a bestial roar as he felt Otonashi's life draining from his body. As for Otonashi, he struggled desperately for a couple of seconds before quickly lying prone in surrender.

_"Maybe he's right..."_ he thought sadly. _"Maybe _that's_ our answer..."_ A flash of silver came across his mind, and Otonashi smiled as he felt the world fade all around him. _"Well...at least I got to see her one last time..."_

Just then, Otonashi faintly heard Takahashi gag hoarsely and gasp for breath, and seconds later, his own lungs started to be refilled with glorious oxygen. Takahashi fell to the ground, panting intensely and sweating like he had just run a very long marathon, while Otonashi rolled away and gasped for breath as well. As both redheads regained their much-needed oxygen, Otonashi realized what had just happened.

"I guess...that rules out...killing me..." he panted.

"Goddamn it... _Goddamn_ it..." croaked Takahashi as tears started to well up in his eyes. "Why? Why me? What'd I do to deserve this...this...?" The boy's frame trembled, and he hugged his own chest as he began to weep. "Who _am_ I...?"

Otonashi weakly sat up and looked towards Takahashi. Despite nearly being strangled to death by him, he felt nothing but sympathy for his reincarnated self. He understood his situation completely.

"You're Arata Takahashi," Otonashi replied softly, consolingly. "That's what matters the most."

Takahashi looked up, and one pair of burgundy eyes locked into another. But before either of them could respond, there was a sudden, bright flash of brilliant light that engulfed everything, and then...

* * *

_ **"Mommy?"** _

_ **"Yes, Arata-kun, dear?"** _

_ **"Is it true that butterflies carry the souls of the dead?"** _

_ **"Well, wherever did you hear that, Arata-kun?"** _

_ **"Someone in school said that."** _

_ **"Well, they're correct, my dear. My mother once told me the exact same thing. For a long time, it has been believed that butterflies carry the souls of the dead. Heh heh heh. You know, my mother also told me that if you follow a butterfly, you'll eventually solve a really big problem in your life. Or m** _ ** _aybe even some big mystery in life._ ** _ **"** _

** _"Really?"_ **

** _"Yeah. But I've never tried it out."_ **

** _"Wow..."_ **

** _"I know. Amazing, huh? Maybe you should try it out, Arata-kun. See what happens if you get far enough."_ **

"Otonashi, wake up."

Otonashi opened his eyes and found himself back on the bed, looking up at Hasumi Itagaki. For the briefest moment, he felt a sudden, somber feeling of infatuation, and he didn't know if it was caused by Takahashi's influence. Nevertheless, that infatuation disappeared as quickly as it came, and the redhead sat up.

"Oh." Otonashi yawned briefly and rubbed his eyes. "Hey. Wh...What time is it, Iwa...Itagaki?"

That was when he noticed the grave expression on Hasumi's face. Any lingering thoughts he had about his otherworldly encounter of Takahashi instantly disappeared from his mind, like a finger-snap.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"You need to see the news," she replied.

* * *

**Room 217, Noguchi Residence  
** **Last Stop Apartments**

_ **"All of Tokyo is descending deeper into a state of panic, as firefighters rush to put out the blazes that have affected seven different train stations throughout the city."** _

That was the first thing Otonashi heard when he and Hasumi reentered the living room of Noriya's apartment. He found Kanade and the others congregated around the old, rickety TV set. An older anchorman sat at a desk, his face wrinkled with grave concern as he held a small stack of papers. Beside him was a live image of firefighters battling a dwindling blaze.

"What's going on?" Otonashi asked.

Noriya glared at him with a finger on his lips. "Shhhhh!"

_**"Transportation in Tokyo has been brought to an absolutely chilling standstill, and the number of injuries is expected to be in the hundreds," **_the anchorman continued._** "Fortunately, no fatalities are expected. **__**An investigation into the fires is now underway, but the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has shared their confidence that the cult is responsible. **__**This hereby makes it one of the worst attacks in the history of postwar Japan."**_

"Looks like that Hashimoto jerk-off is kicking things off in a big way," Noriya remarked bitterly.

_ **"As a result of these seemingly coordinated arson attacks, the Prime Minister has now issued a shelter-in-place protocol for all of Tokyo."** _

"WHAT?!" shouted everyone, sans Kanade; both Noriya and Masako shot up on their feet in outrage.

"So none of us are allowed to go out?!" Hitomi exclaimed in disbelief.

"How the hell are we gonna stop this jackass, then?!" Masako snapped.

"Well, at least that means no school," Noriya remarked with relief.

_ **"Everyone is advised to find shelter anywhere and remain there until further notice. The citizens are encouraged to find shelter in numbers and in public, non-abandoned buildings. They are also encouraged to be on the lookout for anything even remotely alarming-"** _

The TV suddenly shut itself off. Everyone turned towards Kanade, who was holding the remote control. Without saying a word, she set the remote down on the nearby table, stood up, and turned around to face her friends.

"It doesn't matter," she said. Though her voice was completely devoid of emotion, Otonashi could tell she was disgusted and infuriated beyond belief. "We have to stop these madmen. We _have_ to." She clenched her trembling fists. "They can't do this to all of those people. They just _can't_."

* * *

**Unknown location**

Sadahiro Hashimoto eagerly switched from one TV channel to another, paying attention to all of the news reports on his cult's latest acts of violence in Tokyo. With every report that he heard, his smile widened, just a little bit, with sadistic pleasure. He could _hear_ the terror in the voices of the anchormen and women, no matter how hard they tried to hide it. Every report was marked with the highlight of uncertainty about what the cult had planned next, where they were going to strike next, when they were going to strike next...

Only _he_ knew the answers to all those concerns, and more, and it gratified the businessman, knowing the home country that he loved and admired so much was one step closer to the utopian state that he envisioned for it...

"You're not getting away with this!" a young voice shouted.

But Sadahiro merely chuckled and turned around. "But my child!" he replied triumphantly. "The point was never to get away with it. No, far from it!"

Tamika Nishimura gritted her teeth at him. "People are going to know what you did! And you're gonna be punished for it! All of Japan will come to know you as the madman who arranged all of this, and for what, some _laughs_?!"

Sadahiro's eyes gleamed with borderline-insane grandiosity. "My dear, you're mistaken. All of Japan will come to know me as a hero who guided the country back on the right path!"

"Right path?" Naomi repeated with revulsion. "_What_ right path?!"

The malevolent businessman chuckled briefly before explaining, "Long before you were born, my children, Japan was in a great, golden period of prosperity, the likes of which you could never comprehend! We were going to share that great prosperity to the rest of the world! We would've united half of the world under one flag, _our_ flag! But..." Sadahiro's fists suddenly balled up. "We were _defeated_. _Humiliated_. And now, thanks to the Americans, our national identity is nothing more than an illusion, crafted by those that thwarted our progress... But no longer! Tomorrow, Japan will be regaining the pride it lost, the vision it had of a world always under the warmth of a rising sun!"

"Blah blah blah," Naomi replied suddenly, the teenage girl rolling her eyes in exasperation. "There you go again, blabbing on and on about mumbo-jumbo! I keep telling you, you _love_ to hear yourself talk. That's just all there is to it-"

"That's not all there is to it, little girl," Sadahiro snarled angrily. He tightened his clenched fists even more in an effort to compose himself. "You three have obviously been spoiled by today's American-made culture, but I'll can guarantee that you'll enjoy the true spirit of Japan even more-"

"Japan is fine as it is!" interrupted an outraged Tamika. "You have to let the past go! The age of Imperial Japan is over! That was decided a long time ago, when the Allies won the war. You are not getting that time back, no matter how much you want it back!"

Sadahiro arched an eyebrow. "Ahhh, so you know your history, young lady..."

"Yes, I do! And I also know that you're crazy to think all of this will somehow make everyone want to go back to the time of Imperial Japan!"

"Of course they will, my dear! Through my organization's actions, the Japanese people will see that too much Western influence in our culture has corrupted the minds of our youth in ways they cannot imagine! Thus, they will all reject our meddlesome allies and their deluded ideas about democracy and freedom! And then, they will bring the vision and ideals of our forefathers back in a big way!"

Tamika merely shook her head in disbelief. "You're insane. It'll never work."

"Oh, my child, it _will_."

"YOU DON'T **KNOW** THAT!"

Sadahiro chuckled again and shook his head. He then ran his uninjured hand across his hair, slicking it back just a little. Then, he walked up to the restrained Nishimura siblings and patted Tamika's head softly. The teen girl grimaced, trying her best to avoid the larger man's palm, but to no avail.

"Ohhhhh, we'll see about that," the businessman replied coolly.

Just then, three figures entered the building, wearing cloaks that were colored in many different shades and ancient-looking emblems. One wore a scarlet cloak that had dark-red emblems of fire, the second wore a dark-blue cloak that had blue emblems of water droplets, and the third wore a brown cloak that yellow emblems of spheres with X's at the center. Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei immediately identified them as members of the cult Sadahiro proudly, unabashedly led.

"Hashimoto-sama!" greeted the cultist wearing the scarlet cloak, his head bowing loyally before the businessman.

"You'd better have some good news for me," Sadahiro growled gruffly, "for _your_ sake."

"Yes, we do, Hashimoto-sama," replied the cultist wearing the brown cloak. "Our undercover brothers within the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department have alerted us to a solid lead on the whereabouts of your daughter."

"A lead?" This piqued Sadahiro's interest, and he turned around and walked away from the Nishimura siblings. "Have they pinpointed her location?"

"Not yet," responded the cultist wearing the dark-blue cloak, "but they are working on it as we speak. For now, they are saying, with confidence, that she is somewhere within the Tokyo slums."

Sadahiro sighed heavily and shook his head. "Ohhh, my dear Chouko... What preposterous and outlandish ideas did that Takahashi boy fill your head?" Then, he addressed his inferiors again. "I want you to take me to that area at once."

The three cultists looked at each other with shock, before the red-cloaked cultist stared at his leader and asked, "Y-You want to go to the-?"

"I know what I said," Sadahiro interrupted harshly, silencing his follower. "Chouko slipped from my watch while I wasn't looking, and I must redeem myself of this inexcusable failure as soon as possible. Under absolutely _no_ circumstances will I allow her to find a way to dismantle my master plan. Do I make myself clear, you three?"

"C-Crystal-clear," the blue-cloaked cultist replied.

"Good. Now..." Sadahiro turned his back on the trio and walked towards his worktable and wall of guns. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get myself ready."

"_Ready_?" repeated the brown-cloaked cultist. "Ready for what?"

"For Arata Takahashi."

First, Sadahiro grabbed a Type IIIA Aramid bulletproof vest, placed a metal trauma plate inside it, and then strapped it around his torso. Then, he put on a load-bearing vest, which was already packed to the brim with extra rifle and pistol magazines, shotgun shells, tactical knives, and a variety of canisters. Finally, he grabbed a pair of bulletproof leggings and put them over his formal pants, completing his tactical gear.

Next, he retrieved a special tactical belt that held six holsters, three on each side of the buckle, and wrapped it around his waist before securing it. Then, he retrieved six different handguns, loaded them all to their maximum occupancy, and stuffed each of them into a different holster. These six handguns were a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson Model 60 revolver, a .357 Magnum Taurus Model 605 revolver, a .22-caliber Walther P22 pistol, a 9mm Beretta 92 pistol, a .45 ACP M1911A1 pistol, and an FN Five-seven pistol.

Then, he took two 9mm submachine guns, an Uzi and a Steyr TMP, and slung them over his shoulders, keeping both of them there with the attached slings. Afterwards, he took a 12-gauge Kel-Tec KSG bullpup, pump-action shotgun, as well as a Norinco Type 56 AK-47-type assault rifle, and slung them over his back with their own slings. Finally, he took a Colt AR-15-type assault rifle and loaded it with a 150-round drum magazine.

The three cultists all sweat-dropped at Sadahiro's arsenal, which was big enough to support a military squadron.

"That's, uh...a bit of _overkill_, don't you think, sir?" the red-cloaked cultist asked.

"You can never be too prepared for anything," Sadahiro replied nonchalantly as he inspected his AR-15. "I assume the big weapons are also prepared?"

"Y-Yeah, sir, but I don't see the necessity-"

Sadahiro looked up sharply. "_Everything_ is necessary for the final stage of our grand master plan. We mustn't tolerate any inconveniences, no matter how trivial they may seem to you. Is that understood?"

"U-Understood," the three cultists replied at the same time.

"Good. Now, let's set off, men!"

The cultists immediately scrambled away, while Sadahiro chuckled heartily as he inspected his AR-15 for one last time. Then, he prepared to walk out of the room when...

"You're going to lose!"

The businessman turned around and glared at the speaker. "I beg your pardon?" he asked in an eerily calm voice.

"You're a very, very, VERY bad man!" Kaisei shouted defiantly. "And my onee-chan and her friends are going to beat you up so bad you're gonna cry for your mommy! Do you hear me?! You're gonna cry so hard, like a little girl!"

Sadahiro pursed his lips with annoyance. "A talkative one, aren't you? I guess I know who exactly you take after in the family." He then chuckled and coolly rested the barrel of his AR-15 on his shoulder. "I'll have you know that I obviously have the upper hand against your onee-chan and her worthless little gang of friends, whoever they are."

"NO, YOU DON'T!"

"Ohhhhh, I'm pretty sure of it." The businessman's eyes gleamed with sadistic hunger. "And I'll see to it that her friends are all annihilated into oblivion, and that she is before you, on her knees, begging for forgiveness. After all, she is about to come face to face with her greatest failure. And after that, she'll learn her greatest lesson, and that is to never, EVER insult the likes of Sadahiro Hashimoto ever again."

* * *

**Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Kimiko rolled her eyes as Royama looked over his shoulder for the umpteenth time. With a heavy sigh, she looked over her own shoulder at the teenager and snapped, "Of course it will! Teams B, C, and D will distract the police while we run around Nishitōkyō, looking for clues! It's foolproof! With what's happening in Tokyo right now, there's no way the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department will be able to handle all of us at the same time!"

"Yeah, uh, one little question," Mutsuto piped up.

Kimiko sighed again. "_Really_? You have something to ask _now_? Why didn't you ask anything back at the house while we were planning all of this out?!"

"Well, it just came up! And, uh, my question is, why are we called Team A?"

...

...

...

**"DOES IT EVEN MATTER?!"**

"Well, it's just that C is my favorite letter in the alphabet-"

"Gross," C interjected flatly; the ninja girl was standing still on top of a handrail, keeping watch for the others.

"And I thought we should take it on as our team name," completed Mutsuto. "That way, the police will be tempted to go after Team A, thinking the ringleaders are all in that group."

"I don't think it even matters which team the police will prioritize over the others!" Kimiko shrieked, her voice cracking.

"Actually, uh, I think the guy's got a point," Hiroto piped up.

Kimiko clutched at her magenta hair in disbelief. "Re-Really? _Really_?! THIS is what we're going to talk about to pass the goddamn time?! Everyone, just-just shut up about the team names! It's already decided! J-Just keep on searching for clues! Jeez!" She rolled her eyes and resumed scanning the rundown asphalt road. "_Team names_. For the love of God..."

Naotatsu, Yumie, Mutsuto, C, Asahara, Hiroto, and Royama all stared at Kimiko fearfully before resuming their own duties. They were all at the same location where the cultists kidnapped Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei. It looked as if the kidnappings and gunfight had just happened, with spent shell casings, blood spatters, and debris still scattered around the immediate area. There was a faint smell of gunpowder still lingering in the area. The sun was setting over the Tokyo skyline, mostly casting the dilapidated area in darkness, with the sky splashed with a hue of orange and pink.

"Do you remember what the van looked like, Naotatsu?" Kimiko asked as she examined the tire tracks.

"Uhhhhh..." Naotatsu strained his mind as he tried to recall the memory. "I think it was..._silver_..."

The magenta-haired girl sighed with distress. "You really can't remember what the van looks like?!"

"Look, it was kinda dark, and I was more focused on keeping your siblings safe! All I can say with confidence is that it looked like your typical perv van!" Naotatsu sighed with distress. "I'm so sorry, Kimmie, I should've paid attention to the van-"

"No, no, it's okay!" Kimiko interrupted absentmindedly without looking at her friend. "It's okay, it's okay." Her sea-green pupils followed the direction of the tire tracks. "Who's the one who popped the tire?"

"Yeah, that'll be me," C replied, raising her hand.

"Did you see if the van crashed nearby or if it continued going?"

"Not really. I got distracted by one of those wretched cult villains right after I popped the tire." However, C stared down the street that the van took. "But I would assume they kept on going, though, because Mutsuto and I didn't find it a few yards down."

"Alright, alright..." Kimiko glanced at the others. "How about you guys? Did you find anything that might tell us where my sisters and brother are? Anything useful?"

"Other than what we've already seen before?" Hiroto replied. "Nada."

"Zilch," added Royama.

"Those crazy cultists didn't really have anything useful on them," Mutsuto remarked as he dusted his hands.

"Really?" Hiroto asked curiously. "Speaking of which, what exactly did you do to those cultists that you caught?"

"Yeah, I don't see them around here, like, at all," added Royama.

"Well..." Asahara replied cryptically, his expression turning dark, "let's just say...they won't be hurting anyone anymore."

* * *

**Unknown location**

"Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form... Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change... Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy... Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life... And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits...

"Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form... Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change... Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy... Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life... And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits...

"Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form... Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change... Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy... Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life... And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits...

"Dear _Chi_-"

"OH, FOR THE LOVE OF **GOD**, SHUT THE HELL **UP**!"

All of the cultists captured by Naotatsu, Mutsuto, C, and Asahara were all strung up and dangling precariously from the top floor of the construction site in Nishitōkyō. Their wounds had been treated and they were all blindfolded with strips of random trash. Unbeknownst to them, two policemen had finally spotted them, and one of them was calling for backup as the other was recording them live with her cellphone.

"Why not?" one of the cultists asked. "It's our-"

"Oh, forget all that shit!" another cultist snapped. "I have to break it to y'all, but it's all a sham!"

...

"Wha...?" asked a third cultist.

"It's a sham, alright?! You've all been duped! There IS no _Chi_, or _Sui_, or whatever! It was all made up by our leader!"

...

"So..." the first cultist replied slowly, "lemme get this straight... You mean to tell me...I've been paying my $250 monthly cult fee for _nothing_?"

"Uh, pretty much, yeah!"

"And the Earth isn't a living, breathing God?!" exclaimed the third cultist in disbelief.

The lead cultist rolled his eyes. "If it were, do you think you imbeciles would still be here now, dangling off this damn ledge?!"

"...You have a good point..."

"Damn right I do!" The leader averted his gaze, his teeth gritted with anger. "And you can consider our whole operation screwed now because a whole bunch of kids keep getting in our way!"

"That doesn't sound good for us," replied the first cultist.

"Damn right it doesn't!"

...

...

...

"Dear _Chi_-"

"WHAT THE HELL?! DIDN'T I JUST **TELL** YOU-?!"

"...I just wanted to make double-sure..."

* * *

**Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"I'm sorry, Kimmie," Naotatsu said, "but I honestly don't think we're gonna find anything new here."

"Alright." Kimiko stared at the street and placed her hands on her hips determinedly. "It's settled! Team A, we're gonna go follow those tire tracks! Let's go!"

"Aye, aye, captain!" Royama replied, saluting.

...

"Since when did we become a band of _pirates_?" Hiroto asked, glaring at his friend with a raised eyebrow.

* * *

**Nishitōkyōchūō General Hospital  
** **Elsewhere in Nishitōkyō**

Fukuyama and Sekine exited the elevator and entered the fourth-floor waiting room. There, they found Kuramoto sitting in one of the small, uncomfortable-looking chairs. His eyes were glued to the TV screen that was hanging on the corner of the wall. Fukuyama followed her colleague's gaze and saw that the TV was currently showing a live report.

_**"We repeat,"**_ said the concerned anchorwoman,_** "everyone is advised to find shelter anywhere and remain there until further notice-"**_

"Kuramoto!" Sekine called, catching Kuramoto's attention. "How's Igarashi-sama?"

"He's gonna be okay," the other officer replied, looking immensely relieved. "The doctor said he suffered a gut shot and he lost a lot of blood, but they managed to save him in time. He just needs a lot of rest, and he's _definitely_ not allowed to leave his bed for absolutely anything."

"I figured as much."

"So...that means supervision of the cult investigation falls on the shoulders of the officer directly below Igarashi-sama in rank..."

"Yeah, that's about right..."

Sekine and Kuramoto were both quick to turn their heads towards Fukuyama, who was still watching the live report. She sensed her colleagues' stares and looked back at them.

"What?" she asked.

"Now that Igarashi's incapacitated," Sekine replied, "the officer right below him in rank must take over the investigation into the cult. From where I'm standing-"

"You fit the bill perfectly, Fukuyama," completed Kuramoto.

...

"Oh." Fukuyama wiped her nose. "I, uh...I see."

"So...what's the plan, Fukuyama-sama?"

"Well, uh..." The policewoman started to sweat, clearly unsure what to do now that she was filling Igarashi's shoes. "First thing's first...we need to figure out what the cult's next move is!"

An awkward silence suddenly filled the waiting room, despite the frantic chaos of doctors and nurses rushing people in by the minute. All three police officers were mentally face-palming at Fukuyama's obvious and uninspired suggestion. After a while, Kuramoto shrugged.

"Well, it's a start, Fukuyama," he said kindly. "It's a start."

Just then, Fukuyama's cellphone started ringing. Gasping with surprise, she grabbed the mobile device and responded to the call.

"Hello?"

_**"Fukuyama?"**_ a stern voice responded from the other end.

The policewoman's eyes widened. "Ch-Chief?!"

_**"What the hell's going on out there?!" **_the chief demanded._** "I was just informed that Igarashi was shot and is now in the hospital!"**_

"Yes, that's true, Chief. Fortunately, he's going to make it-"

_ **"That's not good enough, Fukuyama! I'm literally chest-deep in calls from politicians hailing from all around the country, wondering what the hell our progress is on the investigation! People everywhere are running around scared, Fukuyama! The shelter-in-place protocol is proving to be goddamn ineffective, and no one out there knows what to do! And apparently, neither do we! Unless you have something to provide me that Igarashi couldn't!"** _

Fukuyama's eyes narrowed at the not-so-subtle insult towards Igarashi's work. But before she could give a retort to her superior, she heard Kuramoto's own cellphone ringing, and watched as he answered it.

"Hold on a moment, Chief," she said.

_ **"Oh, don't you tell me to hold on-"** _

But Fukuyama didn't hear the rest of it. She lowered the cellphone and listened in on Kuramoto's conversation.

"Yes, this is Kuramoto," he was saying. "...Yes. ...Yes, they're both here with me. ...No, no, it looks like he's gonna be in a bed for a while. ...Alright, give it to me." There was a brief silence, and then, Kuramoto's eyes widened with shock. "No way! Y-You're _kidding_!"

"What?" Sekine asked. "What's happening?!"

Kuramoto shushed his colleague with a raised index finger, all the while saying, "You're _not_ kidding? ..._Jesus Christ_... O-Okay, I'll tell them right away. ...Y-Yeah, thank you very much." He hung up and looked at Fukuyama and Sekine. "That was Sakurai."

"What'd he say?" Fukuyama asked.

"They found some of the cultists at a construction site. Apparently, someone got to them before us and strung them all up like game!"

"Really?" Fukuyama's eyes narrowed. "Where's this construction site?"

"Not that far away from us. It's just a five-minute drive."

"Alright, then. Let's get a move on, you guys!"

"Hold on a moment, Fukuyama! There's more."

Fukuyama's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "_More_?"

* * *

**Room 217, Noguchi Residence  
** **Last Stop Apartments  
** **A couple of hours later**

"Is everyone ready?"

Otonashi and Kanade stared at the others in their group, and were relieved to see them wearing their stuffed backpacks and wielding their weapons. Noriya smirked smugly as he rested his machete on his shoulder.

"Yep," he replied. "Ready to kick some ass!"

"I don't think we really have a choice anyway," Masako added.

"Alright, then," said Kanade. "But first..."

The silver-haired girl approached Fuyuhiko Ezakiya, who was still duct-taped to the wheeled chair and struggling with all of his might. With a stern gaze, she grabbed the strip of duct-tape covering his mouth and yanked it off his lips. Hasumi, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all winced at the powerful tearing noise.

"OW!" the mad teenage boy exclaimed. "YOU LITTLE BI-"

"You only speak when you're spoken to," Otonashi interrupted harshly. "So shut up and listen first."

Fuyuhiko merely scowled stubbornly at the redhead. Then, without warning, he spat at his direction, hitting Otonashi's shirt with some flecks of saliva. In response, Noriya jumped forward and struck Fuyuhiko hard in the forehead with the butt of his machete. Upon seeing this, Otonashi grabbed the delinquent's arm before he could strike a second blow.

"DON'T!" he shouted. "We need him to talk! It's okay, Nod- I mean, Noguchi!"

Noriya frowned and shrugged off Otonashi's grip. "Fine, Otonashi-san," he replied. "But if that punk does or even _says_ anything suspicious again, then it's lights out for him!"

Otonashi nodded at him in understanding. Then, he glared at Fuyuhiko, who was still reeling from Noriya's attack. Once the psychotic teen was looking at him again, Otonashi raised the schematics Saori found in one of Sadahiro Hashimoto's stolen files. Fuyuhiko's eyebrows shot up at the sight of them, but he then smirked triumphantly.

"Where are they?" Otonashi asked calmly. "And I want an honest answer from you. Don't give me any crap, or I will not be holding back my friend this time."

"It depends," Fuyuhiko replied, sneering maliciously. "What's in it for me?"

"Nothing, except your life." Otonashi knelt down so he could be at the same eye level as Fuyuhiko. His burgundy pupils stared into Fuyuhiko's trembling, beady ones. "I know you're scared of what's going to happen. I'm betting you did not sign up for this part. But it's not too late for you to back out and do the right thing." Otonashi hesitated for a moment, reminiscing of the time Fuyuhiko violently, maniacally stabbed at him. "What's your name?"

"Why the hell should I tell you? What, you wanna get all cozy with me?!"

"Because I'm not sure if my friend, the person inside your head, will respond to me. So, I'm going to appeal to you, and only you. So please, tell me your name. I don't care what you did to me earlier today, I _really_, _truly_ want to help you. I want you to live, just like everybody else."

Fuyuhiko's stare suddenly softened, and Otonashi felt his spirits lifting. Perhaps he had managed to reach him after all...

Then, Fuyuhiko leaned in and whispered menacingly, "Go to hell."

"Oh, that _does_ it!" Noriya snarled. He raised the butt of his machete and was about to hit Fuyuhiko again, but Otonashi raised his hand, stopping him.

"You know," the redhead said calmly and compassionately, while still staring at Fuyuhiko, "the person in your head, his name was Fujimaki. And he definitely wouldn't have allowed any of this to happen, not in a heartbeat. He always looked out for the little guys, and he looked down on those who loved to use their power to subjugate others.

"Now, I don't know if there's anything you care for in this life, but I want you to know that this guy, Fujimaki, was your past, and he is about to become your present. And if you try to resist him, you won't stand a chance. So you might as well cooperate with him and with us, because your life is at stake either way."

"You think I care?!" snapped Fuyuhiko angrily.

"I think you do," Otonashi replied as he stood back up. "But, if you insist on being so stubborn and not helping us, then I'll leave you to your own bearings. You deserve as much time as you need to get yourselves together."

Before Fuyuhiko could respond with something vulgar, Kanade took another strip of duct-tape and roughly placed it over the boy's mouth, muffling out his voice. Meanwhile, Noriya looked over his shoulder and saw Natsumi entering the room, the cat Yuri in her arms.

"Hey, Natsumi-chan," the teenage delinquent said. "I'm gonna go out with my friends for a while. In the meantime, you can play with this bozo."

"YAY!" Natsumi cheered, hopping up and down with excitement. "I _love_ having new friends over!"

Fuyuhiko's expression in that moment was literally screaming, "Kill me now."

But Otonashi and Kanade chose to ignore it. They instead looked at their newfound, or more like old friends.

"Alright, everyone," Kanade announced. "It's time for us to head out."

* * *

Otonashi, Kanade, Fuuta, Hasumi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all returned to the first floor and were about to exit the apartment complex when they heard the screeching of tires, followed by doors opening.

"_This_ is the place?" one voice asked. "Man, it's a DUMP!"

"Well, this _is_ where she was last seen," replied another voice. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"And desperate measures it is," a third voice added. "Fan out, everyone. Search the area. Interrogate the residents."

Fuuta's blood ran cold. "That's-" he began in a whisper.

"I know," Kanade interrupted as her golden eyes narrowed. "Chouko's father."

"Wh-Wh-What'll we do?!" stuttered Hitomi.

"I know what _we're_ gonna do," Noriya snarled, his lips curving into a savage, bloodthirsty grin as he raised his machete, "and we're gonna go do some _ass-kicking_!"

He prepared to dash out of the door like a madman on a mission, but Otonashi, Fuuta, and Hasumi were quick to hold his shoulders and pull him back with their combined strength.

"Wait!" Otonashi exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "We can't just blindly run towards them like idiots! We need a plan!"

"Really?" Noriya glared at the redhead. "Okay, then. What's your _genius_ plan, Yuzuru Otonashi?"

...

...

...

"Look, I can't think of one right now-"

"HA!" Noriya pointed at him triumphantly. "So you DON'T have one! And you insist on wasting precious minutes to come up with a plan-"

"Well, it's better than impulsively running into a situation without knowing your enemy first!"

"W-Wait a minute, guys," Fuuta piped up, the Mao cap-wearing boy suddenly looking around frantically. "Wh-Where's Chouko? I-I mean, Tachibana-san? I mean-"

To his absolute horror, Otonashi noticed it as well: Kanade was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Scanning the area, the tactical gear-wearing Sadahiro Hashimoto immediately spotted a group of homeless men and approached them at a quick pace. The moment they spotted him, the vagrants tried to flee, but Sadahiro held up his hands in a gesture of kindness.

"Relax, everyone," he said. "I'm not concerned about your possible loitering or trespassing or whatever matters you all believe I am here for. Now, my name is Sergeant Igarashi, and I'm with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department."

"Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department?" one vagrant repeated in a hoarse voice. "Heh." He turned away and spat at the ground; Sadahiro had to refrain himself from retching. "What brings _you people_ to this part of town?"

"We are searching for this girl." Sadahiro procured a photo of Chouko and showed it to the group. "She went missing a couple of days ago, and it is urgent that we find her and return her home safely. We have reason to believe she was last seen in this area. Do any of you have any information on her whereabouts?"

To his surprise and relief, the same homeless man that spat on the ground raised his hand. "Yeah, I remember her," he replied. "She was eating out the face of some guy. Ah, youth..."

Sadahiro's skin paled. "Some guy? Can you describe him?"

"Heh..." The vagrant spat at the ground again, and Sadahiro felt his stomach rumble uncomfortably. "Who in their right mind would forget that red hair of his?"

Sadahiro suddenly clenched his fists. _"That damn Arata Takahashi,"_ he thought. _"Not only does he corrupt my daughter's mind, but he also corrupts her heart as well. I will not abide to this!"_

Then, the businessman cleared his throat and asked calmly, "Do you know where they went?"

The homeless man pointed towards a particularly dilapidated apartment complex. "In there," he said. "Be careful. Lots of bad seeds."

"Thank you very much. Now, you and your friends should leave. It's going to get a little messy..."

The members of vagrant enclave looked amongst one another in alarm before scrambling away from Sadahiro, into the shelter of alleyways or abandoned buildings. Once they were all gone, Sadahiro looked at his men and gestured towards the apartment complex. One of them nodded in response, and the group advanced towards the entryway of the building, their guns drawn.

"Be on your guard, everyone," another man advised. "They may be kids, but they're armed and they somehow have the training needed to survive an apocalypse."

"Copy that," a third man replied.

The group was quick to reach the entryway, but once they were a yard away from the foot of the steps, they all slowed down and proceeded cautiously, their index fingers wrapped around the triggers of their weapons.

Suddenly, the door opened slowly. The men froze and aimed their weapons at the doorway. A haunting silence enveloped the seedy neighborhood.

A few moments later, a silver-haired girl stepped outside, her golden eyes filled with cold determination.

"Lower your weapons, everyone," Sadahiro ordered in a low voice. Once all of the barrels were aimed towards the poorly paved asphalt, the businessman stepped forward...and held out his arms, as if urging the girl to embrace him. "Chouko."

The girl's eyes narrowed, which startled Sadahiro, and she said, "You have _no right_ to treat me warmly. Not after what I saw you do, what I heard you say." She clenched her fists tightly. "I will not accept you. Not any longer."

Sadahiro lowered his arms, knowing his daughter would never embrace him now. "I apologize for my uncouth behavior when I last saw you. And I _sincerely_ apologize for what I did to Junna-san, I really do. But she was holding you back. She never understood you, nor the Hashimoto lineage." He made a passive gesture with his hand. "I told you sometime ago that I should do something about it...and I did." When he saw the unconvinced, revolted look on Chouko's face, he said kindly, "My dear Chouko. Unnecessary casualties may haunt you for the rest of your life, but you need to take some comfort in the fact that they were in the name of a greater cause."

"A greater cause?" Chouko's voice was still low and calm, but her fists were trembling. "_A greater cause_? You call _nuking Japan_ a greater cause?"

Sadahiro blinked once with surprise. "How did you-?"

"I have some files from your desk. They told me everything I needed to know." Chouko clenched her teeth. "You...You're a _monster_."

"I'm not a monster, Chouko. As I said earlier today, the people of Japan desperately need to be reminded of who they are and what they stand for. And what better way to do so than to reopen Japan's greatest scar and multiply it tenfold?!"

"You're insane..."

"That's what that Nishimura girl told me a few minutes ago. But obviously she was deluded by the West's influence. _You_, on the other hand, are not. I raised you better than that." He took a step forward, and to his surprise, Chouko held her ground. "So why will you not accept the fact that Japan needs to rise back to its old, glorious standing? Oh, I know!" Sadahiro's eyes turned into snakelike slits of hate and fury. "That Arata Takahashi boy."

He saw Chouko flex her fingers, prompting him to smirk at eliciting such a reaction. Then, he said, "I know that you are not alone here. I know that he's here as well. Now, tell me where he is, and I promise you, his death will be quick and painless. It will be like a...a mercy killing."

Suddenly, Chouko smiled, and Sadahiro could tell she was sensing something...or _someone_ in their vicinity.

Before he or anyone else had a chance to react, three bangs pierced the air. Sadahiro felt three consecutive impacts to his bulletproof vest, all of them powerful enough to knock him to the pavement. His startled men screamed and yelled out various curses as they scrambled in multiple directions, like a startled colony of ants.

And Chouko replied tauntingly, "Right above you."

* * *

As Kanade was talking with Sadahiro Hashimoto under the guise of Chouko, Otonashi, Fuuta, Hasumi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori had all assumed tactical positions. Otonashi and Noriya took an exit door into the eastern alleyway, the one filled with decades-old trash, while Hasumi and Masako took another exit door into the western alleyway. Hitomi and Saori broke into different first-floor apartments facing the street, and as soon as the gunfire started, they broke out the windows and started firing through them.

As for Fuuta, he had broken into an upper-floor apartment and used it as a sniper's nest, even though he only had his two handguns. In fact, he had been the one who fired the three shots at Sadahiro's chest.

Once the first shots were fired, Otonashi and Noriya fled from their position and ran towards Kanade, firing or slashing at the cultists along the way, while Hasumi and Masako provided cover fire. The cultists fired back, but they were quickly being felled by shots to their protected torsos and their unprotected legs.

A small group of cultists dashed towards the apparently unarmed Kanade, but she was ready for them. She activated her Hand Sonic blades, ran towards them, and started cutting their legs, incapacitating them one by one. Some of the other cultists focused their gunfire on her, but Kanade then activated Distortion, deflecting all of the bullets. Two cultists tried to sneak up on her from behind, but one of them was taken down by a hail of gunfire from Otonashi, while the other was incapacitated by a shot fired from above by Fuuta.

Once Otonashi and Noriya caught up with Kanade, the three advanced towards the cultists who were still standing and fighting. Kanade stood in front of the two boys, protecting them with Distortion. Otonashi shot at the cultists on the left, while Noriya cut the legs of the cultists on the other side. Anyone who was out of their range was taken down by Fuuta, Hasumi, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori.

Meanwhile, one cultist who had been cut in his right leg by Noriya stood back up and limped as fast as he could towards Otonashi, Kanade, and Noriya. Fuuta, Hasumi, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori didn't notice him, for they were still focused on the other remaining attackers. Once he got close enough, he pulled out a dagger and lunged at Noriya, stabbing him in the shoulder.

"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" howled Noriya. "SON OF A BITCH!"

"NODA!" Otonashi cried impulsively. He tried to shoot the assailant, but the cultist swung at him with the knife, lightly cutting his cheek and forcing the redhead back.

Then, he stabbed Kanade in the neck...

Only for the silver-haired girl to suddenly appear at his side in a blur, while the 'girl' that he stabbed harmlessly exploded in a burst of glass shard-like objects.

He tried to stab the real Kanade, but she stabbed him in the shoulder and then in his uninjured leg. Otonashi then took him by the head and literally threw him into the street, knocking him clean out. As soon as he did, silence fell upon the neighborhood again: the cultists were all out for the count.

"Noda!" Otonashi cried, running up to Noriya as he clutched his wound. "Are you okay, man?!"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Noriya replied, grinning confidently. "Don't worry about it, man. It's just a flesh wound."

At that moment, Hasumi, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori ran up to the trio.

"So much for those bozos not knowing where you lived!" Masako shrieked in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Hasumi's eyes widened upon seeing Noriya's stab wound. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. "Are you-?!"

"Oh, for the love of- Does it look like I'm not alright to you?! Come on, babe, you know better than that!" Noriya flashed the girls a grin and gave them a thumbs-up. "Nothing takes down Noriya Noguchi except for Noriya Noguchi!"

"So you're saying you can knock yourself out?" Kanade asked in a deadpan voice. "That sounds stupid..."

"Well, you don't have to be mean about it..."

"So," Masako said, looking around, "is that everyone? Did we stop the cult?"

Before Kanade could answer, Fuuta emerged from the apartment and ran up to the others.

"Hey, guys!" he called; the young butler was overcome with excitement and adrenaline. "That was freaking awe-!"

_ **BANG!** _

Fuuta was knocked over in a split-second, crimson quickly blossoming on his torso, his eyes empty. The girls all gasped in horror, while Otonashi felt his heart stop beating.

He then saw Sadahiro Hashimoto aim his AR-15 directly at them.

* * *

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, your eyes do not deceive you, folks. I killed Fuuta...or did I? And now, what will become of the others?! Find out next month!
> 
> Oh, and yes, Sadahiro has nukes on standby. Be worried. (I will explain their origin in later chapters, don't worry.)
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this intense chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	25. ...Again!, Part 3 of 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, everyone! It's time to close out last chapter's shocking cliffhanger! What do you think will happen to Fuuta now that he's been shot by Sadahiro? Your answers, and a bunch more, will be answered with this chapter! Oh, and let's not forget that this is probably another chapter you've all been waiting for! I won't give you guys any more details, but I think you'll enjoy what happens here. ;)
> 
> ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Because I'm feeling particularly generous today, this will be the first of a triple-update! HOORAY!
> 
> P.P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 23: ...AGAIN!, PART 3 OF 3**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi - _Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

Hisako - _Masako Watanabe_

Miyuki Irie - _Hitomi Saito_

Shiori Sekine - _Saori Inoue_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

Takeyama -_ Touya Hamada_

Fujimaki - _Fuyuhiko Ezakiya_

Chaa - _Chazawa_

* * *

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

* * *

**Last Stop Apartments**

_ **BANG!** _

Otonashi felt his heart stop beating as soon as Fuuta fell over in a split-second, crimson quickly blossoming on his torso, his eyes empty. He didn't hear or see anything else in that gut-wrenching moment, just his good friend crumpling to the ground, dead before he could even reach him. For a moment, he remembered that one man who died in the tunnels with him and Igarashi.

He wasn't able to save him back then...and now, he couldn't save Naoi and Fuuta at the same time...

Then, as an uncontrollable fire started to burn in his mind, the redhead saw Sadahiro Hashimoto aim his smoking AR-15 directly at him and the others.

"I will not allow you children to meddle in my grand plans any longer," he snarled, his voice disturbingly calm for a man who had just shot a child in cold blood.

Hasumi, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all raised their guns at the same time, but Sadahiro fired first. Everyone but Kanade ran out of the way of the gunfire, while Kanade herself tried to dash towards Sadahiro, her Hand Sonic blades activated. Sadahiro saw her coming and focused all of his fire on her, but the silver-haired girl activated her Distortion ability, which easily deflected all of the bullets coming her way. Sadahiro's eyes widened with disbelief, but the automatic gunfire didn't falter for one second.

But then, it finally stopped. As soon as she reached Sadahiro's position, Kanade deactivated Distortion and swung one of her blades. Sadahiro took a step backward, just as the AR-15 was knocked into the air, splitting cleanly in half. This gave Otonashi the opportunity to make a mad dash for Fuuta's fallen body.

Then, Kanade tried to thrust her other blade into Sadahiro's thigh, but the larger, more muscular man stepped out of the way of her attack. He then pulled out his M1911A1 pistol from his belt and fired three times at Kanade's legs, but she instinctively reactivated Distortion, deflecting all three bullets. Sadahiro's eyes widened with alarm, and he emptied out the pistol into Kanade's shield, without any success in penetrating it.

"What the...?" he asked.

With the M1911A1 empty, Kanade deactivated Distortion again and tried to stab Sadahiro's other thigh. But he pulled out one of his tactical knives and swung his own blade downward. Both blades met, and Sadahiro's strength was enough to force to force Kanade's Hand Sonic downward by a few inches, knocking her off-balance. Then, Sadahiro tried to pierce Kanade's shoulder, but the girl activated Delay, allowing her to outmaneuver the blade and temporarily blind the evil cult leader with a shower of illusory glass shards.

Taking advantage of Sadahiro's distraction, Kanade tried to stab his thigh yet again, but he recovered quickly, dropped the M1911A1, and pulled out his Uzi submachine gun. Without a second thought, Kanade reactivated Distortion, just in time to avoid yet another hail of gunfire.

Then, at the corner of her eye, Kanade saw Hasumi quickly taking aim with her own M1911A1. After steadying her grip, the pink-haired girl fired once, striking Sadahiro in the back of the leg. He grunted a little, but Kanade was surprised to not see any actual pain in his expression. She was about to charge and subdue Sadahiro, but all of a sudden, he threw his empty Uzi at Hasumi's direction, forcing her to duck.

And then, he pulled out a Norinco Type 56 assault rifle and started firing off extremely loud rounds. Hasumi covered her ears and was sent scrambling for cover. Masako, Hitomi, and Saori fired their own guns at him, but Sadahiro's ballistic armor kept absorbing the impact of their bullets, allowing him to continue firing unimpeded.

When Sadahiro ran out of ammo, Kanade charged at him yet again. But his pupils darted at her direction, and he pulled out a Steyr TMP with one hand. Once again, the silver-haired girl protected herself from the bullets with Distortion. She gritted her teeth at being unable to land a close-range hit on him; he always seemed to anticipate her next move, and he was wearing advanced ballistic armor that prevented pistol ammo from incapacitating him.

He must've been informed of their weaponry and newfound fighting capabilities, and thus knew to come prepared.

She heard Sadahiro curse under his breath when the TMP ran out of ammo. Then, as he reloaded both the Type 56 and the TMP, the businessman snarled, "I don't know what kind of technology you're using, Chouko, or how you acquired it, though I assume it originates from this crime-infested cesspool. Still, you're a coward to use these measures against me, your own father."

"And _you're_ a coward for doing all of these terrible things to innocent people," Kanade spat back, her cold voice sending chills down the spines of Noriya, Hasumi, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori. "So consider us even."

Sadahiro's eyes widened with surprise at Kanade's harsh and unforgiving tone. Kanade couldn't help but proudly smirk a little at the prospect of presenting Chouko as a stronger individual in the presence of her oppressive father.

But then, the businessman's eyes narrowed again, and he suddenly growled, "Who the hell are you?"

...

Kanade blinked with shock. "Wh-What?"

"You're not Chouko," snarled Sadahiro. "My daughter would never act and speak like that. _Never_. Not even after all that I have done. She may have rebuffed my beliefs when I first revealed them to her, but she would _never_ resist them like this."

The girl struggled to get back into character. "Y-You're pathetic, Dad, if you think-"

"I've raised Chouko for her entire life, you low-class amoeba!" Sadahiro snapped, cutting Kanade off. "I know every last detail about her, all the way down to her very mannerisms! First and foremost, she would NEVER have called me by that pathetic label of 'Dad'!"

_"Oh, no..."_ Kanade thought, the magnitude of her mistake immediately dawning upon her.

"You...You had me fooled for a moment, girl, but your cover is slipping." Sadahiro clenched his fists so tightly that they were trembling. Your tactics are low and disgraceful. Now, answer me, impostor!" He aimed his Norinco rifle at Kanade's chest. "Who the hell are you, and where is Chouko?! And how did you manage to copy so many of her details?!"

Kanade didn't want to answer Sadahiro's demand, but she knew her cover was blown now. She mentally berated herself for not asking Chouko for some simple information on how to act around her father. Now, she was pitted in a tight corner and unable to explain her way out of this dilemma.

How could she tell this man that Chouko _was_ indeed in front of him, but only physically, not spiritually?! This malevolent man, who was actively trying to kill her friends and Otonashi at this very moment, who had just _shot_ Naoi's reincarnated form?! Her claims would just be met with blazing gunfire before she could even finish her first sentence.

When he only got silence as a response, Sadahiro gritted his teeth and opened fire.

"FINE!" he roared, as he watched the bullets bounce off of Kanade's Distortion and clatter to the asphalt in small piles. "I will just _kill_ you, however I could, and find her myself! And I will tear your pathetic little friends apart, one by one, in the process, just like I did to that Fuuta boy! I will not allow you to corrupt Chouko's mind any longer!"

**"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"**

Sadahiro was suddenly pelted by another hail of gunfire. Kanade looked to her right and saw Otonashi dashing towards them both, his Glock firing wildly. He had just dragged Fuuta's body to a safe location, where it was being tended to by Masako, Hitomi, and Saori.

With his ballistic armor catching much of Otonashi's bullets, Sadahiro raised the Steyr TMP and fired at the redhead. His opponent rolled out of the way and fired twice. The first bullet hit Sadahiro's protected leg, but the second one hit him in his unprotected shoulder, causing the businessman to cry out in furious anguish. He glared at his wound as blood already began to leak out, and then he cast a vengeful stare at Otonashi. The redhead pulled the trigger of his Glock again, but was only met with an empty click.

"Oh, shit!" Otonashi cried in alarm.

He scrambled to pull out another magazine, but Sadahiro already raised the Norinco and fired again. Fortunately, Kanade jumped in front of Otonashi in the nick of time and activated Distortion, protecting them both from the bullets. A second later, the Norinco stopped firing and smoke leaked out of the barrel.

"BLAZES!" shrieked Sadahiro in outrage.

Another second later, seven bullets were fired. Three struck Sadahiro in his ballistic vest, powerfully enough to knock the large man back a little, while the other four struck the Norinco, disabling it. Then, Noriya sped past Otonashi and Kanade and tried to slash Sadahiro with his machete. But the businessman reacted quickly and caught the blade with the useless body of the Norinco, holding it upward with both hands despite his shoulder wound.

"Heh, wow," the purple-haired delinquent remarked, as he tried to press down on the Norinco with both of his hands on the machete, despite his own shoulder wound. "And to think, I thought you were just some stuck-up rich guy with a lot of damn time on his hands."

"I remember you too," growled Sadahiro. "You were that delinquent who sullied my manor with your mere presence and lecherous acts." He withdrew his left hand from the Norinco, pulled out his .38 Smith & Wesson revolver, and aimed it at the boy's chest. "I will have no qualms over killing you next- OOF!"

Hasumi had positioned herself next to Otonashi and Kanade, reloaded her gun, and fired again at Sadahiro's protected but exposed side, knocking him back with the power of her .45-caliber bullets. Once the large man dropped the Norinco and the .38 revolver, Noriya dramatically spun around in a circle and slashed at Sadahiro in the process. Not only did he leave a considerable gash in his ballistic vest, but he also cut off Sadahiro's load-bearing vest, quickly depriving him of easy access to his extra magazines, knives, and gas canisters.

However, once the load-bearing vest landed on the rough asphalt, the air rang out with a sharp snap. Moments later, the street started to fill with smoke: one of Sadahiro's gas canisters had been activated from the impact.

Sensing an opportunity, Sadahiro ran into the billowing smoke, whilst Noriya fled from it, coughing a little.

"Kanade!" Otonashi cried.

"I got it!" replied Kanade, split-seconds before she dashed after Chouko's father.

But once she was fully immersed and saw nothing but bone-gray, Kanade felt her lungs fill with a nasty stench, and she covered her nose and mouth with her elbow, all the while coughing. She strained her eyes in an attempt to see through the smoke, but it was an unsuccessful endeavor. She could hear nothing but the continuous hiss of the gas canister.

Just as she was about to use one of her other Guard Skills, Kanade heard a small piece of asphalt break beside her, and reacted just in time, blocking Sadahiro's tactical knife with her Hand Sonic. But the businessman refused to desist, and he put more and more strength into his attempted blow. Kanade stared into his face, which was now clad with a black gas mask and ballistic helmet retrieved from one of his accomplices.

But she could see his eyes, and they were now alive with insanity.

"Tell me where Chouko is, you filthy impostor!" he snarled.

"I will not!" Kanade shouted back. "I will protect her from you, no matter WHAT!"

She aimed her other blade at Sadahiro's chest and, with a cry, thrust it forward with all of her might. He saw the attack coming and jumped away, but not quickly enough. About a third of the weapon managed to bypass the ballistic vest and embed itself into his chest for about a second before Sadahiro withdrew his flesh from it.

"ACK!" Sadahiro groaned. He clutched his wound with his left hand, and blood started trickling from between his fingers. After looking at it in shock for a couple of seconds, the mad businessman looked back up at Kanade. "You...You're going to pay _dearly_ for that, you bi-!"

He was cut off by a bullet that struck his helmet. His head snapped to the right, allowing Kanade to charge forward. But Sadahiro quickly recovered and swung his knife, parrying Kanade's blow.

A knife fight ensued. Kanade and Sadahiro swung at each other repeatedly, only for the other to parry their blows, one after another. Their actions were nearly a blur as one tried to incapacitate the other.

From a distance, Otonashi tried to aim his Glock again in spite of the fog of smoke. But now, Kanade and Sadahiro were locked in combat, their nearly indistinguishable forms almost melding into one with their lack of distance. He wanted to help Kanade, but he didn't want to risk accidentally shooting her.

_"This smoke,"_ he thought with gritted teeth. _"It's interfering with my sights. If only it were gone..."_

An idea came to his mind, and he cried out loud, "KANADE! Use one of your Guard Skills! Get rid of the smoke! I almost have a clear shot!"

_"Okay,"_ Kanade replied in her thoughts. The appropriate Guard Skill immediately entered her head soon after. _"Over-"_

She was unable to complete the incantation, for Sadahiro swung his tactical knife down at her again, forcing her to parry with both Hand Sonic blades. She then kicked Sadahiro hard in the leg and tried fleeing. However, the pain didn't daunt her determined opponent, who pursued her with a half-limp.

_"Over-"_

"ARGH!"

Kanade blocked another killing blow by Sadahiro.

"You think you can wear me down, huh?" he snarled. "_Kanade_?"

The silver-haired girl felt her very soul squirm uncomfortably at this villain addressing her by name.

"So _that's_ your name. _Kanade_." He sneered madly. "Well, let me tell you something, _Kanade_. I may be new to the act of killing, but I think I will take the _greatest_ of pleasures in taking your life. I will punish you for disrespecting the name of my daughter by taking it for yourself.

"And after I am done with you, I will find out your surname, and then I shall have my associates track down your family. And once they do, I will have them torture them, slowly and painfully, until they beg to be put out of their misery. But I will give my associates special instructions to deprive your loved ones of this. I will see to it that they die slowly and in the most pathetic way possible! They will curse you as they die! I will see all of these things through to the end, FOR I AM SADAHIRO HASHIMOTO!"

He broke through Kanade's defense and stabbed her in the stomach.

Split-seconds later, she exploded into more illusory shards, while the real Kanade appeared right behind him and stabbed him in the back.

**"_AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH_!"** he roared.

"It's a good thing you mentioned that," Kanade replied calmly, "because I have no family here. _Overdrive_."

With astonishing ease, she lifted Sadahiro into the air with her blade, eliciting a gurgled moan of agony from him. Then, she dug one of her feet into the asphalt ground and started spinning, taking Sadahiro along with her. As Kanade spun, her body started to glow blue, and the mighty force of her spinning movements started to create a whirlwind in no time. The whirlwind immediately dispelled the smoke from Sadahiro's gas canister, blowing it away into nothingness. Even all of the trash in the neighborhood was blown away, leaving the street surprisingly clean.

Noriya, Hasumi, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all watched the unfolding scene with utter bewilderment. Their hair fluttered wildly from the blasts of air, and they narrowed their eyes at the bright, blue light.

"Oh. My. God," Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all said at once.

As for Otonashi, who was closest to the action, he smiled with love and wonder at the silver-haired girl.

_"That's Kanade for you,"_ he thought.

Once Kanade stopped spinning, she looked at Sadahiro's limp, seemingly lightweight body. The businessman's face was frozen with an absolutely comical expression of shock and terror, and his limbs hung loosely like those of a marionette. Kanade merely shrugged and threw him off her blade, sending him tumbling a couple of feet across the asphalt. Once he stopped, he merely laid still, still overcome by the otherworldly experience.

Then, Kanade approached Otonashi, breathing out a small sigh of relief as she did so.

"In the Afterlife or in the real world," the redheaded boy said, "you still amaze me."

Kanade merely smiled up at him, just as her blades disappeared.

Just then, Masako cried out, "Hey, guys! He's still alive!"

Otonashi and Kanade didn't waste anymore time. Without checking on Sadahiro, they ran over to Masako, Hitomi, and Saori, followed by Noriya and Hasumi.

"He's alive?!" Otonashi exclaimed with relief.

"Yeah, but I think he's barely hanging on." Masako looked at Fuuta with confusion and terror. "I-If we don't get him to a hospital, we're gonna lose him!"

Fuuta suddenly coughed violently, and blood spurted out from his mouth. Specks of it traveled far enough to land on his shirt and Hitomi's skirt, causing the girl to grimace.

"Hang in there, Naoi- I mean, Fuuta!" Otonashi cried. "We'll get you help-"

"Ch-Ch..." Fuuta struggled. "_Chou_..._Chooooouuuuu_..._keeeee_..."

"Chou-kee?" Hasumi asked, looking at Kanade. "Isn't that-?"

Kanade blinked once.

"Fuuta?!" Chouko suddenly exclaimed. Ignoring the shock of Otonashi and the others, she knelt down beside Fuuta and placing his head on her lap. "_Fuuta_! Wh-What? What _happened_ to you?!"

"Just...trying...to protect you..." Fuuta weakly took Chouko's hand and held it. "I...screwed up, though..."

The teenager coughed again, prompting Chouko to say, "No, you didn't, Fuuta." She tried her best to smile. "You...Y-You did _great_! You've _always_ did great!" Her eyes started to well up with tears. "I...I never got to show you my g-gratitude, Fuuta! Never! Not even after what I learned about...F...F...Fa...Fa..."

Fuuta grinned weakly and interrupted, "Oh, get on with it, Chou-kee..."

"You've always been there for me, Fuuta! For much of my life, you were the only person my age that I could talk to! I-I know all we ever did was argue, and all I ever wanted back then was for you to...to...to _shut up_!"

Fuuta chuckled a little, amused to hear Chouko say such a phrase.

"But...but now you're the only one left in my life, Fuuta! Mother's dead, F-F-Father's betrayed me, Junna's dead..."

"I'm sorry, Chouko..." Fuuta interrupted, his voice getting weaker. "I guess...life's just...unfair...sometimes..."

Chouko's eyes widened with horror, as did the others'. "No, Fuuta! Please live! _Please_!" The tears started to drip from her golden eyes. "I want us to argue again! I want you to keep calling me by that irritating name again! I...I want things to be the way they used to! _Please_..."

A pale-skinned Fuuta raised his trembling hand and took a lock of Chouko's silver hair.

"Chouko..." he gurgled.

"F-Fuuta?!"

"Ch-Ch-_Chouko_..."

Fuuta tried to get more words out of his mouth, but Chouko could tell his willpower was giving out quickly. She saw the light quickly fading from his eyes... Chouko started to hyperventilate; her golden eyes were trembling badly.

**"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_!"**

An unseen force suddenly pushed Otonashi, Noriya, Hasumi, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori backward, a couple of feet away from Chouko and Fuuta's body. Otonashi was the first to get back on his feet, and he looked at Chouko...who was now glowing a sickly red aura.

"Kanade?!" he called out of instinct. "Kanade! _Kanade_!"

But Chouko didn't respond, and at that moment, Otonashi realized who he was talking to. Mentally berating himself for making that mistake, the redhead then took a few apprehensive steps towards her.

"Chouko!" he called. "_Chouko_!"

But Chouko still didn't hear his voice. She was now crying loudly, and the red aura was engulfing her, growing stronger. As Otonashi grew closer and closer, he felt its force...and it felt familiar somehow...

Once he got close enough, he slowly reached a hand outward and placed it on her shoulder.

"CHOUKO!" Takahashi called.

There was another powerful pulse, which sent the redhead flying a second time. Right afterwards, the red aura quickly subsided, rising up into the air in a column and dissipating in the sky after flaring brightly for a minute...and then the neighborhood was silent and still again.

* * *

Kimiko, Naotatsu, Yumie, Mutsuto, C, Asahara, Hiroto, and Royama all looked up at the sky. Though it was now colored in a deep hue of red, orange, and yellow from the setting Sun, there was no mistaking that strange beam of red energy that had just shot itself into the sky.

"What in the world was that?!" Hiroto exclaimed.

"It looked like it came from the Last Stop neighborhood," C replied calmly.

"The Last Stop neighborhood?" Royama repeated, his eyes widening with alarm. "You mean that place with all the bums and hobos? _The_ Last Stop?"

"Yeah." C continued staring at the sky with a comical poker-face. "Last Stop also happens to be one of my favorite places to hang out at..."

Royama blushed and started blustering, "W-W-Well, uh, a-aside from all the b-bums and hobos and, uh, stuff, L-La-Last Stop is a, uh, _fascinating_ place! _Very_ beautiful place, if you're a fan of abstract expressionism! Me, personally, I'm more of a Neo-Cubist kind of guy-"

"...Do you even know what abstract expressionism and Neo-Cubism _are_...?" deadpanned Hiroto.

"Something to do with...wine, right...?"

"Can you stop talking about art and wine, Royama?!" Kimiko suddenly snapped, causing her redheaded friend to yelp out with surprise. "God, you sound like that one guy from that one American superhero movie! Let's just go and check it out, okay?!"

"_Check it out_? Over at Last Stop? Kimiko, w-what's that got to do with your missing siblings?! We don't even know what that cliched beam-in-the-sky scenario was about!"

"Beams don't just shoot into the sky like that." Kimiko looked back towards the skyline of the Last Stop area, her green eyes narrowed. "It _must_ have something to do with it." She then started walking. "Come on, guys! Let's get over there, pronto! Naotatsu-kun, alert the rest of the club! Tell them to meet us at Last Stop!"

"Got it!" the blue-haired boy replied, whipping out a walkie-talkie from his shirt pocket.

Everyone else started following Kimiko, sans Royama, who simply stared at them dumbfounded for a moment. Then, he ran after them at a slow pace.

"Beams don't just shoot into the sky like that," he repeated to himself. "Well, not unless the world is about to end! Damn American cliches!"

* * *

Noriya, Hasumi, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all stood up, groggy and unsure of what had just happened.

"Man, my _head_..." Noriya moaned. "What the hell was _that_ all about...?"

"Are you alright, Saori-chan?!" Hitomi exclaimed as she attended to her friend, who was rubbing her own head.

"Yeah... I'm fine," replied Saori. She then looked at Hasumi and Masako. "How about you, girls?"

"We're fine too," Masako responded. She then briefly rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a single fully-loaded magazine. "Damn. I'm very low on ammo, though."

"Me too," Hasumi said groggily as she removed her last magazine from her gun and checked it. "I think I've only got two bullets left."

"I think Saori-chan and I wasted all of ours," Hitomi replied glumly.

Suddenly, a window slid open in Noriya's apartment, Chazawa's head poked out of it.

"**YO!**" he called angrily. "YO, NOGUCHI!"

Noriya glared up at his neighbor. "**WHAT**?!"

"WOULD YOU MIND KEEPING THAT SHIT DOWN?! THIS MAN'S TRYING TO HAVE FUCKING BEAUTY SLEEP!"

The delinquent shot up on his feet. "WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE FUCKING NOTICED, MAN, BUT THERE'S A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO FUCKING **KILL** ME!"

"Guys, is now _really_ the goddamn time to have your goddamn friendly banter?!" Hasumi snapped with exasperation and disbelief, but Noriya and Chazawa both ignored her.

"IT HAPPENS EVERY FUCKING DAY HERE, MAN!" Chazawa nonchalantly gazed upon the street, which was littered with bodies, weapons, and blood spatters. "YOU THINK I GIVE A SHIT?!"

"WELL, I DON'T REALLY EXPECT YOU TO, GODDAMN RETARD!"

"CALL ME A RETARD AGAIN! YOU CALL ME A GODDAMN RETARD AGAIN AND I'M GONNA COME DOWN THERE AND KILL YOU MY-FUCKING-SELF!"

"BRING IT, RETARD!"

...

...

...

Chazawa suddenly burst out into rambunctious laughter. "Good one, man!" he exclaimed, pointing down at his neighbor with a friendly smile. "Good one!"

"Oh, my God..." Masako moaned with a face-palm.

"ARE YOU FUCKING **KIDDING ME**, MAN?!" Noriya shrieked. "I'M BEING FUCKING **SERIOUS** THIS TIME!"

"Man, that must've been some fight out there!" Chazawa continued, examining Sadahiro's form in particular. "What the hell did you use? Some fireworks machines?"

"No, no, we called in Bigfoot to stir up some shit." Noriya suddenly stomped on the asphalt with disbelief. "**FIREWORKS MACHINES?!** ARE YOU **SERIOUS**, MAN?!"

"Come on, I'm sure you kicked some ass, man-"

He was suddenly cut off by a hail of gunfire. Noriya, Hasumi, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all instinctively scrambled away, just as pieces of dirt and asphalt flew into the air. As Hitomi and Saori ducked into an alleyway for cover, Masako aimed her gun at the shooter: a recovered Sadahiro Hashimoto, who was now armed with an FN SCAR-H battle rifle taken from one of his fallen comrades.

"Oh, my God!" Chazawa shrieked, his voice cracking. "Someone really _is_ trying to kill you, man!" He instantly withdrew back into his apartment.

"Man, I thought we killed you already?!" Noriya shouted at his attacker with exasperation. A second later, he was grazed in the shoulder by a bullet.

"Nothing takes down Sadahiro Hashimoto except for _Sadahiro Hashimoto_!" proclaimed the businessman, his pupils now quivering madly.

"So you're saying you can knock yourself out?" Masako asked in a deadpan voice. "That sounds stupid."

She then started firing several times at Sadahiro, but he ignored his many injuries and ran as fast as he could, avoiding them. Gritting her teeth, Masako kept firing and firing...

Until her magazine suddenly ran out of ammunition.

"Oh, crap!"

Masako struggled to reload her gun with her final magazine, but Sadahiro blindly fired a couple of times in front of her feet, prompting her to drop it. Then, he steadied his aim at her-

_ **BANG!** _

Sadahiro grunted, snapped his head away, and misfired; small specks of blood flew from his temple. Masako looked at Hasumi, who was sweating and looked a little disoriented. Smoke was leaking out of her M1911A1. Then, Masako quickly noticed the bleeding cut on her friend's forehead.

"Damn..." she mumbled quietly. "I think I missed..."

Sadahiro ran his index and middle fingers across his temple and looked at their tips; they were coated in blood.

"Gee, you _think_?" he asked sarcastically. Then, he fired his Steyr TMP, forcing Hasumi and Masako to join their friends in the alleyway.

Noriya seized his opportunity and charged towards Sadahiro, letting out a loud, bestial war-cry as he sprinted past the unconscious bodies and discarded weapons. Sadahiro saw him coming and aimed the rifle, but only heard an empty click when he pulled the trigger.

But he refused to submit. Once Noriya reached him, machete raised, Sadahiro slapped the weapon out of his hands with the rifle itself.

"Oh, what the hell, man?!" Noriya snapped, split-seconds before his opponent struck him in the head with the butt of the rifle.

Sadahiro grinned madly as he watched the purple-haired boy fall to the ground with a grunt. He then raised the butt of the weapon again and prepared to bludgeon the stunned boy with it, when four consecutive bullets ripped through his thick and muscular arms. The FN SCAR dropped to the ground with a hard clatter, and something seemed to break inside it.

He glared at his bloodied arms for a moment, without any sign of pain, then at Otonashi, whose burgundy eyes widened with a little terror.

"Arata Takahashi," he sneered. "Ohhhhh, how I've been _waiting_ for this moment..."

Otonashi quickly pulled the trigger again, but was also met with a mere click. He looked at his gun for a moment, then at Sadahiro, who, despite his many grievous wounds, was still going strong, surprisingly enough. Perhaps it was because of his size and muscles, or perhaps his insanity was fueling him beyond any comprehensible limit.

Or probably both.

The two stood still for a long, tense minute. Then, with a grunt, Otonashi reached into his pocket for another magazine, prompting Sadahiro to run up to him, grab him tightly by the neck, and lift him up into the air by a few inches. In the process, Otonashi accidentally dropped his Glock.

"I do not know what kind of sorcery you and your friends are capable of," Sadahiro said giddily, "but nevertheless, I shall annihilate you all. I will overcome the trials God has created for me, and I will get my daughter back. And _then_-"

"Trials?" croaked Otonashi. "From _God_?" He gritted his teeth. "You're _insane_."

Then, he spat in Sadahiro's face. The man clenched his own teeth, wiped the flecks of spit with his free hand, and then balled up that hand into a menacing fist...

**"** _ **AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH** _ **!"**

Hasumi charged forward with a metal pipe and struck Sadahiro in the back with it. But it didn't have the intended effect: the pipe broke in half instead, while Sadahiro didn't exhibit anything beyond a grimace. Gasping with terror, Hasumi then tried to stab Sadahiro in the side with her half of the pipe, but he angrily threw Otonashi into her, causing both to fall to the ground.

"I've had enough of this-" Sadahiro began, right before a small rock hit him in the head, cutting him off. Roaring out in exasperation, he stared at Hitomi and Saori, who both had a number of rocks and loose pieces of asphalt in their hands.

"You sure love to hear yourself talk, don't you?" snarled Hitomi.

"Yeah, like, shut the hell up!" Saori shrieked before throwing another rock.

Sadahiro caught the rock with his hand with a smirk. A second later, Masako appeared right behind him and struck him in the head with the butt of the FN SCAR. He stumbled a little, allowing Hitomi and Saori to pelt him with more rocks and asphalt. Masako also seized her chance to strike him in the left leg with the FN SCAR.

"ARGH!" Sadahiro whipped his head around to look at Masako, who immediately began to regret her actions. Before she could react, he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up as well. She tried kicking him, but all it got her was a punch to the gut.

"Masako!" Hitomi squealed. She and Saori rushed forward, leaped onto Sadahiro's back, and started hitting him with the rocks in their hands, but to no effect. With his free hand, Sadahiro grabbed Hitomi by the hair, ripped her off of him, and kicked her away.

"NO!" Saori cried upon watching her friend crumple to the ground in pain. Then, she narrowed her eyes into slits. "YOU... YOU ARE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MIYUKI-CHAN!"

She immediately slammed her jagged rock down on Sadahiro's left eye.

**"** _ **AAAAA** _ _ **AAAAA** _ _ **RRRRR** _ _ **RRRRR** _ _ **GGGGG** _ _ **GGGGG** _ _ **HHHHH** _ _ **HHHHH** _ **!"**

Sadahiro immediately threw Masako hard into a nearby streetlight, and then grabbed Saori by the face. Before he could squeeze, though, Saori managed to bite his index finger. With another cry, the former businessman threw her off of his body and onto the asphalt street, knocking the wind out of her. The blonde looked up at his face, which was now half-bloodied thanks to her.

But before Sadahiro could do anything, Otonashi and Hasumi jumped onto his body as well, and the man stumbled away from Saori. Otonashi was pulling his hair and trying to jab his thumb down Sadahiro's injured eye, while Hasumi angrily punched at Sadahiro's injured back.

"Go down, you bastard!" Otonashi shouted furiously.

With a mighty roar, Sadahiro charged towards a wall and slammed himself hard against it, using Otonashi and Hasumi as cushions. This forced both teenagers to let go of him easily, and once they did, Sadahiro punched and stomped on both of them repeatedly until they were left squirming on the ground.

He then walked up to Noriya's machete, picked it up, and walked back towards Otonashi and Hasumi. On the way, Noriya weakly grabbed Sadahiro's ankle, but the cult leader smirked mockingly at this and tore himself away from his grip with ease. Right afterwards, Sadahiro stomped down on his back twice, subjugating the boy and allowing him to resume with his plan.

Otonashi tried to stand up, but Sadahiro slammed a foot on his back, pinning him to the ground. Next, he raised Noriya's machete, prepared to make the kill-

**"_NO_!"**

Sadahiro paused in mid-movement and looked at Chouko, who was now on her feet again. At first, he was prepared to attack again, but then, he noticed the teary, submissive look in the girl's golden eyes. Recognizing that look, he smiled.

"Well, well, well..." he said. "It looks like you really _were_ here all along, Chouko..."

Chouko remained silent, prompting her father to continue.

"So...dissociative identity disorder, huh?" Sadahiro lowered the machete and slowly walked away from Otonashi, towards Chouko, who was backing away. "That's the only logical reason why I didn't recognize you just a minute before. It is very troubling to me that you might've had this condition all along. But do not fear!"

He held his arms out, as if welcoming his daughter into a warm, loving hug, but Chouko didn't reciprocate. "Soon, the entire country will regain the pride it once lost! After we overcome this obstacle, _together_, we will usher in a new era of peace and prosperity! All of Japan will look back to this glorious day with the widest and brightest of smiles! Soon, all of Japan will know the great name of Hashimoto!" Sadahiro then lowered his voice to a disturbingly gentle tone. "But only if you realize the error of your ways and choose to atone them. Come with me, my daughter. Together, we will move on to a higher plane of existence..."

Chouko merely stared at the monster she once called her father with horror, her pupils trembling. A single tear dripped from her eye, down her cheek...

Then, she blinked...and Kanade narrowed her eyes with a newfound determination.

"_Never_," she replied. "I will protect Chouko from you, no matter what the cost!"

Sadahiro merely scoffed. "I see, so your alternate personality has taken over again. No matter." He grinned confidently. "No overconfident alternate personality or strange sorcery can stop me! I am-!"

"Get him, girl!" another voice squeaked.

**"NYAAAAA!"**

A certain cat suddenly leaped onto Sadahiro's face and started clawing at it violently, eliciting a howl of pain from him. Reacting quickly, he tore the feline off his face and threw it aside with an angered yell; fortunately, the cat managed to land on her feet. But before Sadahiro could advance towards Chouko, a certain beady-eyed teenager ran up to him and stabbed him in the back with a gleaming kitchen knife.

"AGH!" Sadahiro shouted. With the knife still embedded in his back, the cult leader turned around to stare at his newest attacker...and growled with disbelief. "Ezakiya?! What in blazes do you think you're _doing_?!"

"It's not Ezakiya," the boy replied. "It's _Fujimaki_!"

Chazawa then charged forward with a large block of asphalt and threw it at Sadahiro's leg with all of the strength that he could muster. A loud and sickening snap echoed in the air.

**"** _ **AAAAA** _ _ **AAAAA** _ _ **RRRRR** _ _ **RRRRR** _ _ **GGGGG** _ _ **GGGGG** _ _ **HHHHH** _ _ **HHHHH** _ **! YOU _BASTARDS_!"**

He grabbed Fujimaki by the collar and prepared to skewer him with Noriya's machete, but Fujimaki punched him hard in his uninjured eye, temporarily blinding him and causing him to drop the machete. This was immediately followed up by the cat Yuri pouncing on the back of Sadahiro's head and clawing at his forehead, which sent blood into both of his eyes. Sadahiro punched Fujimaki in the abdomen, getting the boy to stumble away, and then tore Yuri off in the same way as before. This time, Chazawa had to run a couple of feet to catch the cat.

With Sadahiro blinded and incapacitated for sure, this gave Otonashi and Kanade their chance to act.

Kanade dashed towards Sadahiro with her Hand Sonic blades, while Otonashi reloaded his gun and provided cover fire. Both teenagers riddled the businessman with bullets, and even though his chest and legs were still protected, his arms were being shot and grazed several times. Sadahiro let out a bestial roar of outrage and agony before falling onto his other knee from the onslaught of bullet impacts to his body.

Once Kanade passed Noriya, she slashed upward, clipping off Sadahiro's belt of extra handguns. The silver-haired girl then saw Noriya retrieve his weapon and stepped aside, allowing the delinquent to stun their opponent by hitting him in the face with the butt of his machete.

"AGH!" the man cried in pain and surprise.

Noriya tried again, but the muscular man caught his arm by the wrist, all the while ignoring the injuries to his own arm. With that, Kanade made a move for Sadahiro's uninjured leg and slashed at it. This time, her blade was able to bypass the protective legging and cut into his flesh.

**"AAAGGGHHH!"**

He tried to punch Noriya with his free arm, but Otonashi shot him in that shoulder.

**"_AAAGGGHHH_!"**

Noriya then elbowed his other arm with so much force that he broke it.

**"_AAARRRGGGHHH_!"**

Sadahiro then headbutted Noriya's stomach, forcing him away. Seconds later, Yuri pounced on his face and clawed at it again.

**"_AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH_!"**

He shook and jerked his head around violently, knocking the cat off. Then, he wiped the blood off his uninjured eye with one of his forearms...only for Fujimaki to sucker-punch him.

"Oof!"

The stunned Sadahiro fell to the ground on his back...which unfortunately still had Fujimaki's dagger in it.

**"**_**AAAAA**__**AAAAA**__**RRRRR**__**RRRRR**__**GGGGG**__**GGGGG**__**HHHHH**__**HHHHH**_**!"** he roared. Then, the combined pain of all his wounds finally started to catch up to him. "Agh! Agh... Ack..."

Sadahiro grimaced and slowly writhed pathetically on the ground for a few seconds. Then, he got back up on his knees and opened his uninjured eye. At first, his sight was blurry from all of the pain. Then, once it adjusted to the best of its ability...he saw Otonashi, Kanade, Noda, Iwasawa, Hisako, Miyuki, Shiori, Fujimaki, Chazawa, and Natsumi all standing in front of him. The teenagers were aiming their weapons, while Natsumi was simply showing Yuri to him.

"You picked the wrong people to mess with, loser," Noda snarled.

"You... _You_..." Sadahiro snarled angrily. "You kids...aren't _human_!"

"You're the one here who isn't human," Otonashi spat back. "You're a monster, and we're going to stop your plans."

"It's over," Iwasawa added.

Sadahiro clenched his teeth together. Something was wrong here, and he knew it. This ragtag group was more than just your average Japanese teenager.

"Who the hell _are_ you people?!" he asked.

Kanade stepped forward, grabbed Chouko's father by the collar, and aimed her Hand Sonic blade.

"We're the Shinda Sekai Sensen," she replied. "The SSS."

* * *

**Unknown location**

Tamika scooted over towards Sadahiro's worktable as fast as she could, all the while trying their best to ignore the high-pitched, bloodcurdling scraping sound being made by the legs of the chair she was tied to. Naomi had her eyes trained on the doorway, while Kaisei watched Tamika fearfully.

"Come on, Tamika-neechan!" the boy cried. "You can do it!"

"Almost there..." Tamika said.

Right now, her eyes on the old TERA take-down rifle lying on the worktable. There was a bayonet attached to it, and it glinted brightly in the dim lighting of the room. The blade was conveniently sticking out precariously from the rest of the table. Once she reached it, the middle-school student started rubbing her bonds against the bayonet.

"Yes, yes!" she cried with relief. She then intensified her rubbing, and she could hear individual fibers of the rope tearing. "Come on, come on, come on..."

"Hurry up, Tamika-chan!" whispered Naomi. "They might come back any sec-"

"Don't rush me, Naomi-neechan! I'm going as fast as I can!" Tamika bit her tongue gently as she continued rubbing the rope against the bayonet. Unfortunately, her captors used a lot of rope to restrain her and her siblings, which meant that there was a lot of cutting to do.

"So, did you hear anything from the boss yet?"

All three Nishimura siblings froze at the sound of the voice outside the doorway. They saw a pair of shadows looming just a couple of feet away from the open door.

"No," a second voice replied. "No one's reported back to me for about ten minutes. They would've told us if they had the Hashimoto girl or not. Something must've happened..."

"What'll we do now? Did Hashimoto-sama did say anything about a backup plan in case his operation went south?"

"No, not really. But if anyone knows about any backup plans, it's Yamashita."

"I guess I'll call him in-"

"That won't be necessary," a third voice suddenly interrupted. The two shadows were joined by a particularly menacing third.

Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei heard the other two men salute. "Yamashita-sama!" they both greeted.

"I assume you're also concerned about Hashimoto's well-being, given I heard you use his name on the way here?"

"O-O-Of course, s-sir," the second voice replied in a fearful stutter. "W-We were just wondering what to do if he didn't-"

"It's simple," Yamashita interrupted. "We initiate the second phase without him or his daughter."

"...And I assume this is on Hashimoto-sama's orders...?" asked the first voice.

Yamashita suddenly scoffed. "Of course not." There was a brief and awkward pause. "Listen, Hashimoto may be a genius and a visionary, but sometimes, he gets a little too arrogant for his own good. He thinks the future of Japan rests solely on his shoulders. He may be heading this revolution, but his reckless ambitions are what will bring it down if we dawdle a second too long. If he insists on letting things continue this way, then it's time we move on with the operation without him."

"...So you're the one who's calling the shots now."

Tamika could imagine Yamashita shrugging nonchalantly in response. "...Yeah, pretty much."

"What about those three kids? Hashimoto-sama took them to mentally torture their eldest sister, but they're now useless to us."

"I think they'll still be of use to us. After all, the police are still hot on our trail." The siblings then heard Yamashita snap his fingers. "Take them to the chopper. It's almost on its way."

"Yes, Yamashita-sama," replied the second voice.

Just then, two men entered the room, and Tamika's skin paled considerably when one of them eyed her close proximity to the TERA rifle's bayonet.

"Well, well, well," he said. "What do we have here?"

"I, uh, I-I was, uh, um, uh, itchy!" Tamika stuttered. "Y-Yes, that's right! I was just itchy!"

"So your plan was to scratch yourself...with a _bayonet_?"

...

...

...

...

...

"Yes!"

* * *

"LET US GO RIGHT NOW!"

Tamika struggled against her bonds as three men dragged her and her siblings out of the building. They were no longer tied to chairs, but they were bound by their wrists and ankles.

"Oh, shut it, girl!" snapped her captor. "You've got a big mouth on you, ya know that?!"

"Oh, that reminds me!" exclaimed the man dragging Naomi. "We should duct-tape their mouths! We don't want anyone outside the gates to hear their screaming!"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" replied the man dragging Kaisei. "I almost forgot about that!"

With that, the men duct-taped the Nishimura children's mouths shut, with some not unexpected resistance from all three of them. As they did, Tamika took a good look at the building in which she and her siblings were kept in. At first, she did not know why exactly they were kept in a school of all places. Then, her eyes widened with realization.

This was not just any high school. It was the same one located near her neighborhood, the one that opened last year.

* * *

**Last Stop Apartments**

"Fujimaki?" Otonashi asked, approaching the beady-eyed teenager. "How...How did you-?"

"I honestly have no idea, man..." Fujimaki replied, scratching his head sheepishly. "I remember waking up in a very dirty room, with this girl right beside me." He gestured at Natsumi, who was threateningly punching the air around Sadahiro as Noda and Iwasawa were still tying him up. "She was trying to feed me cat food for some reason."

Otonashi sweat-dropped a little. "I...I see... Anyway, how'd you get free?"

"The girl helped me out."

"..._Why_?"

"She saw me trying to free myself and helped untie me on a whim. She's a very nice girl, actually."

Otonashi looked at Natsumi, who was persistently ordering the cat Yuri to pee on Sadahiro's leg, without any success.

"...I doubt it..." he replied.

"Alright," Iwasawa announced while wiping some of the sweat off her forehead. "That should do it."

She stepped away from the restrained Sadahiro, who immediately started struggling against his bonds, weakly so. Noda promptly delivered one last kick to the cult leader's backside before stepping away as well. Kanade then approached the muscular man and aimed one of her blades at his uninjured eye.

"Tell me where the nuclear bombs are," she instructed with an eerily calm voice, "and you won't be losing both of your eyes today."

"And tell us where the Nishimura children are!" added Otonashi. "We know you have them!"

In response, Sadahiro sneered. "You think you can get anything out of me, you...you _freaks_?!" he snapped.

Kanade immediately cut Sadahiro's cheek, causing him to wince angrily. "You have taken the life of a very good friend of mine, and Chouko's too." She aimed the blade at Sadahiro's eye again, nearly blinding him with its glint. "You should be really thankful that you survived this ordeal."

"Me, _thankful_?" The cult leader narrowed his eyes. "_You're_ the one who should be thankful, Chouko!"

Kanade narrowed her eyes as well. "You have no right to talk to Chouko-"

"I AM HER **FATHER**! I HAVE **EVERY** RIGHT TO TALK TO HER!" Sadahiro's eyes burned intensely with insanity. "CHOUKO, I AM YOUR PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE! YOU ARE ALIVE BECAUSE OF ME! **ME**! I **KNOW** YOU KNOW IT! AND I KNOW THAT STILL HAVE A MODICUM OF LOYALTY TO ME! NOW, SHOW YOURSELF! THE FUTURE OF JAPAN DEPENDS ON IT!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Otonashi screamed. He pointed his gun threateningly at Sadahiro's cheek, but the cult leader was not daunted.

"SHOW YOURSELF, CHOUKO!"

Gritting her teeth, Kanade dug the tip of her blade into Sadahiro's chest, causing him to wince in pain and agony.

"Chouko doesn't answer to you anymore," she growled.

Through a fog of pain, Sadahiro ignored her. "Do you remember my words, Chouko? A Hashimoto must always stand by the truth in the name of business and accept the full blow of repercussions." He narrowed his eyes even more. "You are forgetting the very advice that I ingrained into your brilliant brain! By shunning me, you are disgracing the family name! Is that what you want right now, Chouko?! For your ancestors to roll in their graves in shame over your actions?!"

Kanade immediately dug her blade deeper into Sadahiro's flesh. "She doesn't need your advice anymore, or your family name. She will now lead a life without you. Her own life!"

After he got accustomed to the pain, Sadahiro sneered again. "Her own life...?" he wheezed mockingly. "You cannot lead your own life, Chouko... Without my guidance, you're _weak_... Just like Junna-san and that accursed Fuuta boy..."

"DON'T TALK ABOUT JUNNA-SAN AND FUUTA IN THAT MANNER!" Chouko suddenly shrieked.

Otonashi stared at the silver-haired teenager with alarm. He remembered the red aura that enveloped Chouko when she reemerged, and became wary of that happening again.

Sadahiro sneered upon recognizing Chouko again. "There you are, my dear daughter-" he began.

"I'm not your dear daughter," Chouko interrupted with a savage snarl. "For as long as I could remember, I thought you were a great man, a man of business and integrity!"

"And I am-"

"NO, YOU'RE NOT! I don't know how long you've had these...these..._disturbing_ beliefs, but it is clear to me that they are not the same beliefs you instilled in me since I was a child!"

Sadahiro's sneer turned into a horrifyingly friendly grin. "But my dear Chouko, they are one and the same! Business and integrity are the very principles that elevated Japan to the status of grandeur it had during the Imperial era! And they're now what keep my business and many others going! This is why I pursued a focus on media and communication. I have long hoped to instill the newest generation of Japanese people with my ideals and principles, just as I had done to you! All through a television screen!"

"Clearly that method fell flat on its face, though," Noda deadpanned.

But Sadahiro didn't register the sarcasm in Noda's voice, for he frowned and replied, "Of course. The West had damaged Japan's spirit beyond repair, and then mended it into a distorted version of what it once was. I couldn't simply make the Japanese turn away from the principles that have brainwashed them into servitude. I had to do what the West once did, and that is to destroy Japan's spirit again..."

"So then you can mend it into a distorted version of what it once was," growled Otonashi.

Sadahiro merely sighed. "Why, oh _why_ do you children not see the value of my actions...?"

"Because they are NOT business and integrity," Chouko snarled. "That's just your vanity talking!"

"And you wish to abandon me and my principles in favor of leading your own life, even though you have nothing of value _beyond_ me and my principles."

Chouko blinked, and Otonashi could see the tears welling up in her golden eyes.

"I _had_ something of value. _Someone_. But..." The tears started to drip down Chouko's cheeks, and her lower lip quivered. "You killed him. You killed his mother. You killed _my_ mother. You took them all away from me. And now..._now_, you want to kill _millions_ of people, who all have something of value-"

Sadahiro scoffed. "Only the weak will perish in this cleansing. You see, my dear, people survive only because they are strong, and therefore have something of great value. Those who die inherently have _no_ value. Just like Junna-san and Fuuta." At the mention of the two of them, he started chuckling jeeringly, and his next words pierced Chouko's soul. "I mean, they couldn't even _bear_ one grievous wound on their wiry frames-"

Chouko slammed the rest of the Hand Sonic blade into her father's chest, and at the same time, three powerful gunshots pierced the air at the same time. Startled by this, Chazawa, and Natsumi looked at Otonashi, Iwasawa, and Hisako, who lowered their guns with the same looks of outrage and fury, as were Noda, Hisako, Miyuki, Shiori, Fujimaki.

This time, Sadahiro didn't scream in agonizing pain. Instead, he gagged a little, struggling to breathe. Blood was flowing out of the gunshot wounds to his exposed collarbones. Then, he coughed, and blood splattered all over Chouko's dress. Her golden eyes were wide with silent anger.

"Survive that, _Father_," she snarled triumphantly.

Sadahiro's eyes widened, and he grabbed his daughter by the collar with one hand, while he clasped his other hand over one of his gaping gunshots. However, his grip on Chouko's collar was light, and it slackened even more by the second. Blood continued to gush from his neck, and it even started to drip from his mouth and nostrils. It was such a graphic, gory sight that Natsumi buried her face into Chazawa's leg.

And then, the cult leader managed to say in a pathetic half-sob, "N-_Nooooo_..."

Chouko pulled the Hand Sonic blade out from her father's chest, and the disgraced businessman fell over on his side, his normally stern and piercing eyes now empty shells of themselves. Tears flowed from his eyes and dripped onto the pool of blood quickly forming around his head, mixing with it.

There was a terrible silence for the next few minutes. No one moved a muscle or even said a word; they merely stared at Sadahiro's lifeless body. Chouko in particular watched on with a strong, ambiguous expression.

Then, Otonashi fell on his knees with despair.

"Crap..." he said. "What have we _done_...?"

All of a sudden, they heard several footsteps, which all abruptly stopped a few feet away from them. The group turned around and saw Kimiko, Naotatsu, Yumie, Mutsuto, C, Asahara, Hiroto, and Royama standing in the middle of the street. The teens surveyed the wreckage and unconscious bodies with shock and horror, while Kimiko merely stared at Otonashi and Kanade.

...

"_Yuri_...?" Otonashi asked with surprise.

* * *

**Unknown location**

"Well... That was certainly..._interesting_..."

In a certain computer room, a teenage boy tapped his chin idly.

"This unprecedented sequence of events is becoming even more..._unprecedented_..." He remained silent for the longest moment, and his expression did not change during that time. "Perhaps it's time for more..._drastic_ measures..."

Behind him, one particular computer screen showed the red symbol of a heart, which was pounding more and more by the second, as if it was threatening to burst...

The boy smiled.

* * *

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this concludes this three-part chapter! That was quite the conclusion, huh?!
> 
> Yes, that's right, I killed off Sadahiro Hashimoto for good, even though I revealed him to be the main antagonist. I was originally planning on having him escape with Yumie as a hostage, but I thought that would be a redundant and cliched outcome. Then, I realized this three-parter was building up to a climactic moment and decided to use it as the setting for a big boss battle between Sadahiro and some of the SSS. And boy, I enjoyed having Sadahiro get what he deserved.
> 
> Speaking of which, that final moment with Sadahiro will be a defining moment for the relationship Kanade and Chouko's relationship, so keep your eye on that. ;)
> 
> And yes, I also killed Fuuta. But don't worry! Naoi will still find his way into the story. Trust me on this. ;) ;) ;)
> 
> Oh, and Noda, Fujimaki, and the original Girls Dead Monster are back too. HOORAY! At long last! And yet another SSS member will be returning within the next couple of chapters. Keep your fingers crossed as to who that might be!
> 
> Also, the school that Kimiko's siblings were being kept in was actually mentioned before in Chapter 2. Takahashi passes it while delivering newspapers and muses about how it appealed to him for some mysterious reason, even though he is unable to enroll. Ironic, huh? And this isn't the last time we've seen that school! There's more than meets the eye with it...
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	26. Identity Crisis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I'm feeling particularly generous today, this will be the second of a triple-update! HOORAY!
> 
> ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 24: IDENTITY CRISIS**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Takamatsu - _Takayoshi Asahara_

Yusa - _Rikana Egami_

Ōyama_ \- Hozumi Karubo_

Takeyama -_ Touya Hamada_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

TK - _Tyler Kendall_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

Chazawa - _Chaa_

* * *

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_FAILED_ **

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* * *

**Last Stop Apartments**

"Yuri?" Kimiko repeated, staring at Otonashi with befuddlement. "Who the hell is _Yuri_?"

"My cat, of course!" Natsumi squeaked, picking up her pet cat and raising it for the newcomers to see.

As for Otonashi, he continued to stare with shock and wonder at Kimiko, Naotatsu, Yumie, Mutsuto, C, and Asahara. But he didn't see those people; instead, he saw his good friends Yuri Nakamura, Hinata Hideki, Yui, Matsushita the Fifth, Eri Shiina, and Takamatsu. It disheartened Otonashi a little to realize none of them likely regained their memories, but that feeling vanished as soon as she looked down at the asphalt and saw the bodies of Sadahiro Hashimoto and Fuuta Ukiyo lying there, in welling pools of blood.

"Wh...What the hell happened here?" the magenta-haired teenager asked slowly, the horror of the sudden sight starting to overwhelm her.

"I..." Chouko began, but her voice seemed to fail her. Otonashi looked towards her and saw her golden pupils trembling, her fists shaking violently, blood still dripping from her Hand Sonic blade...

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" a voice shouted, startling the silver-haired girl. Otonashi looked towards the speaker and realized it was someone he didn't recognize at all; he was a redheaded boy who had a slight resemblance to him. "Wait a minute! I know we're trying to save your siblings, Kimiko, but I didn't sign up for two damn cold-blooded _murders_!"

But Kimiko ignored her friend. Instead, she scanned the street and saw multiple unconscious bodies strewn about.

"Who the hell are _they_?" she asked.

"The cult," Noda replied, before he could restrain himself.

"The _cult_?!" Kimiko glared daggers at Otonashi and the rest of his group. "Why the hell did you knock them all out?!"

"They were going after Kan- I mean, Chouko-" began Otonashi.

"_Takahashi_," Kimiko snarled, triggering a chill that went down the redhead's spine, "I don't know if you heard, but-"

"I-I know they have your siblings, Yuri! Trust me, we're doing everything we can to find them and stop this cult, but-"

"THEN TRY HARDER!" Then, Kimiko narrowed her sea-green eyes at Otonashi. "And for the love of God, who the hell is _Yuri_?! Are you _seriously_ pulling my leg right now, Takahashi?!"

"No, I'm not!"

Otonashi's heart fell upon hearing Kimiko's last sentence. So it seemed one of his closest friends, the very first person he encountered in the Afterlife, didn't realize she had been reincarnated into another life, decades into the future. He didn't know how Noda, Fujimaki, and the Girls Dead Monster managed to regain their memories as abruptly as they did, but he had to get to the bottom of that if he wanted Yuri to remember-

_ **"I DON'T CARE IF YOU WERE A GODDAMN HERO IN YOUR LIFETIME! ** _ **YOU** _ **...YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO BUTT INTO MY LIFE THE WAY YOU DID! I DON'T CARE IF IT SUCKED AND I WANTED SOMETHING BETTER! I JUST...I JUST WANTED TO LIVE MY LIFE ** _ **MY** _ ** WAY, BY ** _ **MY** _ ** RULES!"** _

Upon remembering Takahashi's words of rage and confusion, Otonashi felt his heart drop even more in his chest. Even if he wanted to bring Yuri back, he couldn't will himself to do that either. He had no right to let someone's life and body be taken over by the consciousness of someone else, someone they never met...

Meanwhile, Kimiko noticed Noda and the Girls Dead Monster for the first time. "And what are _you_ guys doing here?" she asked. "Did you let all of this happen too?! Did you seriously just fight all these cult members?!"

"W-We were just defending Kanade, Yuri-" began Noda.

"AGAIN WITH THIS YURI NONSENSE! WHO THE GODDAMN HELL IS YURI?!"

Otonashi could not help but feel bad for Noda, for the purple-haired delinquent looked hurt and confused by his leader's failure to recognize him. Not that he blamed him.

"AND WHO THE HELL IS KANADE?!" With her eyes welling up with glimmering tears, Kimiko quickly grabbed the collar of Otonashi's shirt and stared deep into his burgundy eyes. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE, TAKAHASHI?! WHY ISN'T ANYONE DOING **ANYTHING** TO SAVE MY SIBLINGS?! TELL ME, TAKAHASHI!" She started shaking him. "**TELL ME!**"

Otonashi simply stared back with sympathy. "Believe me..." he replied, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you-"

A split-second later, he was on the asphalt ground, and an intense burning sensation was prickling on his cheek. He could hear Chouko gasp a little with terror.

"THIS ISN'T A GAME, TAKAHASHI!" Kimiko screamed, tears cascading down her cheeks. "THIS ISN'T A FUCKING GAME!" She glared at the rest of Otonashi's group, her eyes burning with frenzied rage. "TELL ME, WHAT ARE YOU **DOING**?!"

_"Even if she was reincarnated into another life,"_ Otonashi thought, _"Yuri's persistence never dies."_

The redhead then sighed heavily and rubbed his aching cheek. He looked up at Kimiko and replied, "Alright. I'll tell you."

"Good! And this had better be good, Takahashi, because I'm in no mood to play around!"

"Alright, alright! But first..." Otonashi hesitated for a moment. "What's your name-?"

Kimiko slapped him again.

* * *

**Elsewhere in Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"Where are they?"

"Over there, Fukuyama."

Risa Fukuyama approached the police cruiser, followed by Sekine and Kuramoto, and the three officers immediately saw the two teenage girls sitting in the backseat, with the doors still open. One had fair skin, red eyes, and blonde hair tied into twin pigtails; while the other closely resembled a boy, what with her short brown hair, sharp brown eyes, and serious frown. They were both looking down ambiguously at the floor of the car.

Fukuyama pursed her lips as soon as she was beside the blonde girl. "Alright, you two," she said, trying her best to use her sternest voice possible. "Talk. Now."

Unfortunately, neither girl budged an inch, simply remaining silent in their seats, staring aimlessly at the floor. Fukuyama sighed with frustration and glared at the female officer who directed her to the girls.

"How'd you find them?" she asked.

"We found them out in the streets during the shelter-in-place order," the officer replied. "They were hitting all the cars in the street with baseball bats. We have at least twenty vehicles with shattered headlights and wing mirrors. We think they are also responsible for the theft of a police scanner a couple of hours earlier, but we didn't find it on either of them."

"Did you happen to get their names?"

"I caught one of the girls calling the other one Rikana before they both went quiet on me. I think it was the blonde one who had that name."

"Really now...?"

Fukuyama looked at the two girls in the police cruiser for a moment, staring at the blonde one in particular. After taking some consideration, she approached the cruiser again, and as she did, the blonde girl, Rikana, finally looked up from the floor. The policewoman blinked in surprise at the sight of the girl's serious expression, which didn't waver one bit even as she stared up at an officer of authority.

"Rikana," Fukuyama said. "That's your name, right?" When the girl didn't respond, she continued, "You know, you're in a whole lot of trouble, you and your friend. You disregarded an order by your government to stay in your home. Of course, that could've been easily forgiven, considering your ages. But then, you and your friend _had_ to cause trouble afterwards. Are you two unaware that there is a cult running rampant throughout the city?"

Rikana still didn't respond, prompting Kuramoto to roll his eyes.

"Well, you've been a great help, young miss..." he remarked sarcastically.

"Come on, Fukuyama," Sekine said, placing a hand on the policewoman's shoulder. "They're probably just troublemakers. This has nothing to do with the cult-"

"Girls wouldn't do something like this," interrupted Fukuyama. "Not when there's danger abound. This is something boys would normally do."

"Okay. ...I'm just gonna ignore the vague sexism and suggest we should just return them to their homes. We can't afford to have two more missing kids on our watch-"

"Oh, so you _finally_ care," a new voice spoke up. Fukuyama glared not at Rikana, but the other girl accompanying her.

"What was that, young lady?" the policewoman asked.

The girl glared daggers at her. "You're _finally_ concerned about kids like us going missing because of a cult." She scoffed dryly. "Did it _really_ have to take three missing children from the same family to motivate you, officers of the law? Or are you just putting all of this effort in a vain attempt to improve your department's image?"

"You've got a really big mouth on you, kiddo," Kuramoto snarled, offended by the adolescent's insult. "You wanna hear effort?!"

But before the junior officer could continue, Fukuyama raised a hand, silencing her colleague. She then said, "When you say three missing children from the same family, are you referring to the Nishimura children?"

"Yes," Rikana finally responded, nodding slightly with a cold expression on her fair face. "Those were my friend's sisters and brother."

"Your friend's?" Putting the pieces together, Fukuyama asked, "You mean Kimiko Nishimura?"

The blonde girl nodded bitterly. "They went missing on _your department's_ watch. And the Japanese government expects everyone to shelter in place and rely on the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for our protection? After many, many months of that cult wreaking havoc everywhere?" She narrowed her red eyes. "_Please_. We're doing what you couldn't."

"Really? And that involves hitting a whole bunch of cars with baseball bats?"

"Who said that was all we were doing?" the other girl asked slyly.

However, Rikana's eyes went wide with shock. "_Sachiyo_!" she squealed, before covering her own mouth.

Sekine blinked with surprise, while Fukuyama's eyebrows shot up her forehead. As for Kuramoto, his cellphone suddenly rang, and he stepped over to the side to answer the call.

"You mean to tell me there's _more_ that you were planning on doing?" she asked. When both girls refused to speak again, she pressed on. "What else were you planning on doing?"

Just then, Kuramoto hung up and exclaimed, "Fukuyama! We've got a couple more kids throwing rocks at a whole bunch of storefront windows!"

Fukuyama's eyes widened, while Rikana and Sachiyo secretly smirked. "What?! Where?!"

"Just a few streets away from here."

* * *

Indeed, a few streets away, Hozumi Karubo and Tyler Kendall had thrown their latest batch of rocks through the windows of about twenty or so local businesses by the sidewalks. They then moved further down the street, pulling wagons filled with bags of additional rocks behind them. Their old wheels squeaked and creaked from all of the swift motion and the uneven concrete sidewalks underneath.

"This is the fifth street now, and the police haven't yet responded!" Hozumi cried, the young, innocent-looking adolescent boy trembling with a mixture of concern and excitement. "This is _tense_! I just hope Kimiko knows what she's doing!"

"Yeah, man!" Tyler replied in English.

"Y-Yeah... Okay, here are some more windows!"

The two boys stopped beside a small but comfortable-looking French restaurant at the corner of a four-way intersection. As they picked up one bag each and prepared to procure some rocks, they suddenly heard a window slide open from up above them.

"DON'T YOU DARE DO IT, YOU DAMN PUNKS!" an older voice shouted gruffly. Hozumi and Tyler gazed upward and saw a middle-aged, grizzled man, presumably the restaurant owner, sticking his head out of the open window. "I KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU'RE DOING, AND I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! I'VE GOT BIGGER PROBLEMS TO WORRY ABOUT RIGHT NOW!"

"Sorry, sir!" Hozumi called. "But this is very important! You'll understand!"

"LIKE HELL I'D UNDERSTAND, BOY! YOU TWO HAD BETTER GET OUTTA HERE OR I'LL CALL THE CO-!" The man abruptly paused for a moment and mumbled something to himself before shouting again, "OR I'LL COME DOWN THERE MYSELF!"

Hozumi and Tyler looked at each other before pulling out some rocks and throwing them through the restaurant windows with as much force as they could muster. The man howled in outrage as soon as he heard the shattering glass.

"DAMN YOU KIDS! DAMN YOU! OH, I HOPE THAT CULT GETS YOU AND BUTCHERS YOU PUNKS ALIVE!"

"What's wrong?!" Hozumi called confidently. "I thought you said you'd come down yourself?!"

"Yeah, man!" Tyler added in English. "Come down here and roll with us!"

"I CAN'T COME OUT BECAUSE THERE'S A DAMN SHELTER-IN-PLACE RIGHT NOW, IN CASE YOU KIDS DIDN'T NOTICE!" He then stared daggers at Tyler. "AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU JUST SAID!"

"Says who?!" replied Hozumi.

"THE GOVERNMENT, THAT'S WHO! YOU'RE DISOBEYING THE GOVERNMENT, KIDS! **THE GOVERNMENT!** SO YOU KIDS HAD BETTER GET BACK IN YOUR HOUSES IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!"

"SCREW THE GOVERNMENT!"

Hozumi threw his last rock, just one second before he and Tyler heard police sirens piercing the air. The older man looked up towards the rooftops and smiled upon seeing the red-and-blue lights.

"OH YEAH, YOU KIDS ARE GONNA GET IT NOW!" he called tauntingly.

"Crud, the cops!" Hozumi exclaimed, his newfound confidence disappearing as quickly as it came. "Come on, Tyler, let's get the hell outta here! We've got their attention now!"

"Time to roll out, y'all!" Tyler cried randomly in English.

He and Hozumi immediately grabbed their wagons and ran down the street as fast as they could. As they did, they heard the sirens approach closer and closer by the second, followed by the squealing of rubber tires against the asphalt. They rounded the first corner they came across, only to be greeted by three police cruisers headed their way at high speeds. Hozumi and Karubo turned around and tried to run back the way they came, only for additional cruisers to appear in the intersection, blocking their remaining chances of escape within seconds.

"Oh, crap!" Hozumi cried fearfully as the magnitude of the situation dawned upon him. "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! I can't afford to get arrested!" He looked around in panic, hoping to find another escape route. "I just can't!"

However, Tyler placed a consoling hand on his shoulder. Hozumi tensed up and looked at his friend, watching as he shook his head. Realizing what he was getting at, his posture relaxed somewhat, and he stared ahead at the police cruisers as over a dozen officers got out.

"YOU TWO!" one of them barked. "GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND PUT YOUR HANDS UP!"

"You're right, Tyler," Hozumi said softly as he and his English-speaking friend complied. "We did what we could. Let's just hope we gave Kimiko a window of opportunity to find her sisters and brother."

* * *

**Yunokawa Household**  
**Current Meeting Place of the Global Awareness Club**

"Damn..."

Yuuji Yunokawa watched as Touya Hamada put away his phone and started typing at an even faster pace on his personal laptop. Fearing the worst, Yuuji stepped forward and apprehensively asked, "Why? What happened, Hamada-senpai?"

"I couldn't get in touch with Teams B and C," the club researcher replied gravely.

"Teams B and C? You mean Egami and Karubo?"

"Yes. They were both instructed to answer calls from me as soon as they got them." His eyeglasses shone from the light on his laptop. "Something must've happened."

"The police caught them," Yuuji said quickly, not wanting to admit the worst just yet. "That's gotta be what happened."

"O-Of course. They're all smart; they'd know when to run from real danger. For now, it's _my_ turn to shine."

Yuuji blinked with surprise. "Do you think you can do it, Hamada-senpai? I never really cut you out as a-"

"I'm not really sure either," Touya suddenly interrupted. "The best I've done was with the school's system. This...This is a whole new ballgame for me. For all we know, I might be booted out in milliseconds."

"Do you think you could at least stop the police from tracking us? I'd _really_ love to not be go to prison. Especially when my parents are coming home soon."

"I'll try, but I can't make any promises, Yunokawa-kun." With that, Touya adjusted his eyeglasses and flexed his fingers. "Alright, let's do this."

* * *

**Elsewhere in Nishitōkyō  
Several minutes later**

"...You're kidding me, right?"

That was Kimiko's first reaction when Otonashi, Noda, Iwasawa, Hisako, Miyuki, Shiori, and Fujimaki finished telling their story to her and the rest of the group. By the time the story had finally reached its conclusion, the group was far away from the area surrounding the Last Stop Apartments, having taken with them as much of the cultists' gear as they could possibly carry. They were now in the middle of a tranquil-looking park, and the Sun had almost set; the sky still bore a fading shade of reddish-pink.

"No, we're not," Otonashi replied. "That's our story."

"We know perfectly well this is not a time to be pulling your leg," Iwasawa added with great sincerity in her voice. "That's why what we're saying is the truth."

But Yuri continued to stare at them, flabbergasted. "So I'm supposed to believe reincarnation is an actual thing, and that we're all reincarnated from past lives, and that your old selves just suddenly popped out and took control of my friends' new bodies..."

"I know this is strange and out of the blue," said Otonashi, "but yes, it's the truth."

"I call BS on that!" Royama exclaimed, pointing at Otonashi. "There's no goddamn way you're Yuzuru Otonashi! I mean, just because you look a lot like him doesn't mean what you're saying is true, man! How am I supposed to believe you if what you say about him is either stuff that can be found on the Internet or stuff that is just so outlandishly false?!"

"Well..." Otonashi scanned Royama from head to toe. "You're definitely not someone that I knew in my past or met in the Afterlife, so I really have no way of proving to you that I'm really Yuzuru Otonashi-"

"Oh yeah, and there's all that Afterlife nonsense!" Kimiko interrupted. "You say we all met before in Heaven?! How is that even _possible_?! There's just _no way_ 95 percent of this group knew each other during their past lives, in some damn high school that you say is just sitting up there in Heaven! How would you even _know_ what Heaven looks like?!"

"Oh, I don't know," Noda suddenly replied, looking absolutely smug in his attempt to be philosophical. "But do _you_ know what Heaven looks like?"

"Of course not, dumbass!" The magenta-haired girl ignored the offended look on the delinquent's face as she continued, "And that's _exactly_ the point! _No one_ should know what Heaven looks like because they either can't return from there or, if your theory is correct, Otonashi, they are reincarnated into completely different lives! That's just infeasible! AGH! And I can't believe you're telling me all of this while my siblings are with that goddamn cult!"

Otonashi felt his heart droop to the pit of his stomach at the sound of his reincarnated friend's words. He knew there was no way, realistically, that he could convince her about the veracity of his story. He knew he shouldn't have tried. But...he did, hoping there was a chance that he could provoke some sort of memory in her brain. Instead, he just made things a whole lot worse between Takahashi and this girl, Kimiko Nishimura.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me, Arata Takahashi!" Kimiko continued to shout furiously. "After all that we've been through together, you're treating this whole thing as some sort of sick, twisted joke?! Well, this is _clearly_ not a goddamn joke, Takahashi! You're better than this! You're not being the boy that I love!" Otonashi looked at her with shock at this admission, and he immediately saw the tears falling from her eyes, down her cheeks. "You would _never_ take a situation like this so lightly! You would _never_ try to play games with my emotions! You would NEVER cause me or anyone else this kind of pain! **NEVER**!"

Otonashi's gaze softened considerably, and he placed his hands on Kimiko's shoulders. This broke her from her sobbing, and she stared into Otonashi's burgundy eyes with a mixture of unadulterated passion and complete confusion.

"That's why I'm not Arata Takahashi," the redhead said.

A couple of minutes passed in silence. Everyone else stared at Otonashi and Kimiko, shocked and unsure if they should butt into the conversation, especially after Kimiko made such a startling love confession. The awkwardness continued to build with the silence. Then...

"You really _aren't_ Takahashi..." Kimiko admitted with realization.

"_Finally_!" Noda cried. "That's why we've been trying to say all along, Yuri!"

"_What_?!" exclaimed Royama. "BULL! Kimiko, you _seriously_ can't be saying-"

The redhead was silenced when Fujimaki aimed his pistol at him. "You don't have to be convinced by us, _newbie_," he said menacingly, "but if your friend says he isn't Takabashi or whatever, then you should respect her decision."

"Well, consider me sold," Hiroto said, stepping forward. "If Kimiko liked Takahashi all along and says she can't recognize this guy, then it must be the truth. I mean, love is a pretty serious thing and we shouldn't question it."

"Same here," added Mutsuto. "I can tell this guy isn't as neurotic as Takahashi anyway."

"I concur," Asahara said.

"As do I," C added silently.

"I concur as well!" Royama suddenly cried.

"Dude," Hiroto replied, shaking his head with disapproval, "you're just saying that because the ninja girl said it already and you have the hots for her."

"Ew," C said in monotone.

Royama gave C and Hiroto an affronted look. "I'm serious, man! Takahashi and I are pretty much blood brothers. I would know my blood brother if I saw him, and I knew from the moment I saw this impostor-" He pointed at Otonashi, who just stared back with disbelief. "It wasn't Takahashi!"

Hiroto rolled his eyes. "My man, you were _just_ going on a few minutes ago about how, just because he looked a lot like Yuzuru Otonashi, it doesn't mean what he was saying was true!"

"More information was needed!"

"Alright, alright, calm down!" Naotatsu shouted, ending the argument before it could escalate. "Now, I think we're all in agreement that what you people-" He gestured towards Otonashi, Noda, Iwasawa, Hisako, Miyuki, Shiori, and Fujimaki. "-are saying is true. We all _are_ other people reincarnated, and your past lives have somehow taken over these bodies."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Hinata, or whatever your name is now," Iwasawa replied.

"So you're _not_ my Onii-chan...?" Natsumi asked as she looked up at Noda with an innocent expression.

Noda blushed a little and replied, "N-No. Sorry about that, kid."

"Then where'd my Onii-chan go?" She looked around a little, as if her older brother simply walked away from the group unannounced. "And is he coming back?"

"Well, I don't know where he went, but I promise you, I'll find a way to get him back." The purple-haired delinquent, out of instinct, started rubbing Natsumi's mat of hair. "Just deal with me in the meantime, alright kiddo?"

Fortunately for him, Natsumi grinned from ear to ear. "Okay! 'Cause it's his turn to feed Yuri!"

She pointed at the cat, who was sitting idly beside Noda's foot and licking itself in the place where the Sun doesn't shine. Noda's skin paled a little at this prospect, but nevertheless, he gave the little girl a steady smile and patted her head.

As for Chazawa, he walked past Yumie, approached Otonashi, and asked awkwardly, "So...by any chance...who was I in the past? I'm kinda curious..."

"Well..."

Otonashi rubbed the back of his head hesitantly. He was unsure if he should share that kind of sensitive information with him. So much unnatural stuff happened to them over the past several hours; there _had_ to be a limit to this kind of thing, right? There was no way the Angel Player would allow this occurrence to continue to manifest...

His skin paled at the last thought. What _would_ happen if the Angel Player sensed this and chose to act on it?

Then, he remembered the sickly red aura that had enveloped Chouko immediately after Fuuta's death...

_Chouko_...

"Wait a minute," Otonashi said, attracting the attention of everyone else. "Where's Chouko?"

* * *

**Chouko Hashimoto?**

"Chouko?"

"_Why_?"

Chouko stared at Kanade, and there were tears flowing from her golden eyes. They were back in the field of sunflowers, but the sky was now completely dark and cloudy. There were flashes of lightning in the distance, followed by the low but unsettling rumbling of thunder. There was a breeze in the air, but it had a tense, uneasy quality to it. Raindrops fell at a quickening pace, pelting the brown, fertile soil and slowly, but steadily, liquefying it into a dark, muddy substance. The two silver-haired girls, however, remained miraculously dry.

"Why did this have to happen to me?" Chouko asked softly, her lip quivering. "_Why_?"

Kanade looked down at the ground with guilt. "I'm so sorry about your friend..." she replied.

Chouko's voice suddenly became bitter. "You're just sorry because he's supposed to be _your_ friend too."

Kanade looked up. "I-I don't understand-"

"YES, YOU DO!" Chouko suddenly shouted, and at that same moment, a lightning bolt flashed dangerously close by; the blast of thunder followed within a second. The breeze started to pick up a little. Kanade narrowed her eyes with concern and her posture tensed up defensively.

"Chouko, I know you're angry, but this isn't going to change anything-"

"IT SHOULD'VE!" Chouko closed her eyes and covered her face with her palms as she began to sob. The rain intensified in response. "AND IT'S NOT JUST FUUTA THAT I AM MOURNING!"

It didn't take long for Kanade to figure out what she was talking about.

"You're mourning your father..."

"IT'S YOUR FAULT HE WENT MAD!" shrieked Chouko.

Kanade blinked with surprise, but she remained calm. "How is it my fault, Chouko? From what I learned, your father had been planning his scheme for years. You and I did nothing to contribute to that."

"BUT HE WAS NEVER LIKE THAT BEFORE! HE WAS ONCE A CARING FATHER, A DEVOTED FATHER!"

Kanade's gaze softened with sympathy. "That's not what your memories tell me..."

Upon hearing this, Chouko lowered her palms and glared at her counterpart, her golden eyes burning with pure hatred. The breeze had turned into a stronger wind by this point, causing their clothes to flutter wildly.

"Then you didn't dig deep enough."

_ **A five-year-old Chouko kissed her father on the cheek. "Good night, Daddy!"** _

_ **"Good night, Chouko-chan." With a smile, Sadahiro embraced his daughter warmly. "Sweet dreams."** _

Kanade's expression softened even more. "I'm sorry, Chouko. But the kind, gentle, loving qualities that your father had, they're a thing of the past. I don't know how or why, but your father, the one we had to deal with right now, is a far cry from the father that you're remembering."

"But that father is still dead! The one who cared for me and nurtured me, he shared the same life as the one who wished to attack Japan with nuclear bombs. And now he's dead! He went mad and now he's dead..." Chouko's shimmering eyes then narrowed furiously. "All because of you..."

"But how could it be _my_ fault, Chouko?"

"Whatever your presence did to me, it made me unable to live up to his expectations! No matter what he expected from me, I could never quite fulfill it, not at a hundred percent. That...That _has_ to be what drove him so mad that he decided to do the things he did!"

Kanade narrowed her eyes slightly. "But your father could've accepted the fact that you were not going to live up to the image he created for you. Or he could've done a different approach to his parenting methods. Or he could've asked what was wrong, at the very least. Your father could've done many things to change the course of the future, Chouko. But he did not do any of those things. Instead...he chose to terrorize Japan. That tells me there was always something wrong with him-"

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK ABOUT MY FATHER THAT WAY!" screamed Chouko, her fury amplified by another sudden flash of lightning and booming of thunder. By this point, the wind had become a howling gale.

The other silver-haired girl clenched her fists with outrage and frustration. "How come you're defending your father now of all times, Chouko?! After all the things you saw him do, all the stuff you heard him say?! Don't you understand?! He's a _monster_! He doesn't _deserve_ to be your father!"

"BUT HE'S STILL MY FATHER!" Chouko started to sob, and the downpour and winds intensified even more. "I...I could've done more to help him...b-but...I...I _killed_ him!" She then looked at her palms...which were stained with blood that the rain couldn't wash off. "I killed him... I'm a _murderer_..." Her golden pupils started to tremble violently. "Just like him..."

"No... No, you're not a murderer, Chouko..." Kanade warily approached her, her steps slow and careful on the drenched soil. "You killed him while defending others. If you hadn't, he would've killed your friends." She gently placed a hand on Chouko's shoulder. "That makes you a good person-"

"SHUT UP!"

An unseen force pushed Kanade away, and she could have sworn she saw the faintest red aura surrounding Chouko for a brief moment. But before she could question what that was, Chouko continued to scream at her.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE MY PSYCHIATRIST! YOU HAVE **NO RIGHT**! YOU'RE JUST A STUPID, SICK LITTLE GIRL WHO IS STUCK IN MY MIND! YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME AT ALL!"

"Chouko-" Kanade tried.

"I WANT YOU OUT OF MY HEAD! I DON'T CARE WHAT IT TAKES! I WANT YOU OUT OF MY HEAD **RIGHT NOW**!"

Suddenly, a tornado touched down at an unnatural speed, ripping up dried, miserable-looking sunflowers and muddy soil in its wake. The mighty, roaring monster of a storm then directed itself towards Chouko and Kanade, and while Kanade braced herself for what was to come, Chouko became calm and passive. At that moment, Kanade saw, through the dirt and water droplets that encircled them, her counterpart move her lips, her voice drowned out by the screeching winds. But for some reason, she knew exactly what Chouko was saying.

"I just want my life back."

* * *

"Chouko?! Chouko!"

Otonashi and Kimiko were the first ones to find Chouko. Apparently, she had wandered away from the rest of the group and aimlessly went further into the park until she reached a fountain. There, they found her lying face-down in the clear blue water, motionless. At that point, it was nighttime, and the lamps in the park were activated, illuminating the area in a ghostly silver light.

"Dear God..." Kimiko whispered, covering her mouth with horror.

Meanwhile, Otonashi waded into the water, wincing a little as his feet dove into the cold, shin-deep water. "Chouko?!" he cried as he picked up the petite girl. "Goddamn it, please don't be dead. Please don't be dead, Kanade. Please, God..."

His worst fears were confirmed when he didn't feel her breathing. The redhead quickly got out of the fountain and gently placed Chouko's body beside it. Acting quickly, Otonashi ripped off his vest and placed it on top of her to provide warmth to her body, before leaning his face forward towards her own.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Kimiko squeaked with surprise. "Wh-Wh-What're you _doing_?!"

"Applying CPR, what else?!"

"CP..." At that moment, Kimiko remembered. "Oh, that's right. I forgot you were trying to be a doctor, Otonashi."

For the quickest moment, Otonashi wanted to ask the reincarnated Yuri how much of his life was now public knowledge. But he selflessly set that thought aside and continued to lean his head forward. His lips met Chouko's-

"Mmph?!"

"Mmph...?"

Otonashi withdrew his head immediately and realized Chouko's eyes were already open. She wasn't coughing out water or anything. Apparently she didn't inhale any while lying in the fountain...

_"Wait a minute..."_ Otonashi thought regretfully. He could imagine Chouko flinging outrageous insults and accusations of pedophilia at him, and he mentally prepared himself for the onslaught of verbal blows...

Instead, the girl hugged him tightly.

"Wh-What in the world?!" Otonashi cried with surprise.

"She...She hates me, Otonashi..."

The redhead's eyes widened at the shaky voice, easily recognizing that peculiar tone. "K-_Kanade_...?" He felt the girl nod in his shoulder, so he promptly broke the hug and stared deep into her golden eyes. "What do you mean she hates you? Are you talking about Chouko?"

Kanade nodded glumly. "She's in terrible grief and anger. It's understandable. I mean, she lost her friend and her father within the same hour. But...she thinks I meddled in things that didn't concern me. She holds me responsible for leading her into this dilemma. She thinks I don't care at all." She looked down at the ground guiltily. "She's probably right..."

"Huh? What do you mean, Kanade?"

"Do _you_ think Takahashi approves of you taking control of his body?"

**_"_YOU** _ **...YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO BUTT INTO MY LIFE THE WAY YOU DID!"** _

"No," Otonashi replied gravely. "No, he doesn't."

Kanade gently placed her hand on his. "Otonashi...before we go any further, we have to think about this. We are playing with lives that never belonged to us in the first place. All of us. We're making these people follow us into danger, whether they want to or not. And they can't do a thing to stop us, because we're in control of their bodies."

The silver-haired girl looked up at Kimiko, who simply stared on awkwardly, unsure if she should join in the conversation. "And what about our friends from the SSS who still haven't regained their memories? They're completely different people now, and we're asking them for their help even if it's not in their place to help."

"That's where you're wrong," Kimiko declared. "My siblings are in danger and I have to save them. I may not be this Yuri girl you kept talking about, but I'm going regardless."

"But what if you die? Or one of your friends?" Kanade looked at Otonashi. "Otonashi, we can't lose any of them like how we lost Naoi! Because not only do we lose one of our friends, but we also lose someone who never got to have any say about how they would die!"

"I understand what you're saying, Kanade," replied Otonashi sympathetically. "I really do." However, his gaze became focused and determined. "But this country is in danger. Millions are going to die, and we're the only ones with the tools and knowledge to stop this from happening!"

"And we're not going to focus on how to free Chouko, Takahashi, and the others from this phenomenon?"

"Kanade, if we don't stop this cult from nuking Japan, then what you just described about Naoi will ring true for all of us! I don't think there's anything we could do to avoid that! And that's not all! Think about all the countless lives that would also be lost, just because we wanted to spare Chouko, Takahashi, and a few others from a fate they had no say in!"

Kanade sighed heavily and looked down at the ground with guilt. "So I guess it's a no-win scenario either way..."

Otonashi sighed as well. "Maybe so, Kanade...but one scenario will have way less loss of life than the other. If I die and take Takahashi with me, then I might as well make sure no one else has to suffer because of it! Besides, I think Chouko and Takahashi would suffer even more if they learn we traded millions of lives in exchange for preserving their own. They might not be us, but I can tell they're both good people in their own right."

"That's true." The silver-haired girl took a deep breath. "I guess it's settled. We save Japan?"

Otonashi nodded in affirmation. "We save Japan."

The couple stared into each other's eyes with a level of deep understanding. It was silent for a couple of minutes, and at the side, Kimiko fidgeted awkwardly. Then...

"By the way..." Kanade frowned with disapproval at the redhead, and held his vest to her chest as if there were no other clothes on her. "Did you try to kiss me earlier, Otonashi?"

"Chouko fell into that fountain!" Otonashi cried, pointing towards the pool. "I thought you were drowning or something! I was just-"

Kanade smirked. "I never knew you were a lolicon, Otonashi. Just how perverted are you?"

"I'm _not_ a lolicon! I was trying to use CPR to save you!" Then, the redhead narrowed his eyes with suspicion. "And _you're_ one to call out someone else's sexual deviance! How do you think _you_ learned the word 'lolicon'?!"

Kanade blushed with embarrassment. At that moment, Kimiko suddenly butted in, having just come to a realization.

"And how do you think _you_ learned the word 'lolicon'...?" she asked in a deadpan voice.

...

"Touche..." Otonashi replied, his scarlet blush intense.

The next few minutes were spent with Kanade and Kimiko throwing outrageous insults and accusations of pedophilia at Otonashi while he tried in vain to defend himself.

* * *

**Several minutes later**

"Hey, you guys!"

Otonashi, Kanade, and Kimiko looked further down the path that they were strolling on and saw Noda, Iwasawa, Hisako, Miyuki, Shiori, Fujimaki, Naotatsu, Yumie, Mutsuto, C, Asahara, Chazawa, Natsumi, Hiroto, and Royama. Iwasawa and Mutsuto were waving at them; Hisako, Miyuki, and Shiori were doting over the clearly embarrassed Yumie while Naotatsu was trying to help her socialize with them; Royama was trying unsuccessfully to flirt with C while Hiroto was laughing at him; Noda and Chazawa were talking to Natsumi and petting her cat; and finally, Fujimaki and Asahara were having an indiscernible conversation.

As Kimiko rushed to join the others, Otonashi and Kanade stared at the group and observed everything they were doing. All the while, Takahashi and Chouko's accusations reverberated through their minds. Watching their friends interact with new ones, while some of their friends still had no memories of who they once were, brought them a little concern about their safety.

Then, they both remembered Otonashi's own words and smiled knowingly at each other. No matter what happened next, it was going to be for the greater good. They had a chance to do some good in the real world...and they weren't going to squander that.

"Alright, everyone!" Kimiko announced, catching everyone's attention. "Otonashi and I found Chouko- I-I mean, Kanade! Now let's move out! We still have to find my siblings!"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, Kanade?" Iwasawa asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the approaching petite girl. "I thought your name was Chouko."

"I was, but now I'm Kanade, her past life," replied Kanade indifferently. "Kanade Tachibana." She then looked at Iwasawa and curiously scanned her from head to toe. "You look vaguely familiar. Do I know you?"

For a brief moment, Otonashi wanted to remind Kanade that the pink-haired girl was Iwasawa, but then remembered the latter moved on before Kanade befriended the SSS. Before Iwasawa could respond, Kimiko spoke up first.

"We'll get ourselves acquainted later. For now, we've gotta come up with our next move! Does anyone have a plan?"

"I've been trying to get one out of Mr. Former Psycho here," Asahara pointed, pointing his thumb at Fujimaki's direction.

"Hey!" the beady-eyed boy replied angrily. "That actually hurts! And I keep telling you, I'm trying! But I don't even know how I snapped myself out of that guy's mind and took over! So how can you expect me to get any useful info from that jackass's mind?!"

"Yeah, that's right," Otonashi said before looking at Noda, Iwasawa, Hisako, Miyuki, and Shiori. "Do _you_ guys remember how you took over the bodies of Hasumi and all the others? I for one can't remember what triggered my memories in the first place as well."

"Not really, man," responded Noda, shaking his head. "All I remember is finding myself lying on that street, getting my ass kicked. I saw you guys in danger and just reacted." His brow furrowed with thought, but after a couple of seconds, he shrugged. "Sorry, Otonashi. No dice."

"I don't really remember either," Hisako added.

"Same here," Miyuki added.

"Ditto," added Shiori.

Everyone else looked at Iwasawa, who was deep in concentration. Her eyes were closed, her brows were furrowed, she was wearing a serious frown, and she was instinctively scratching her wrist with her index fingernail.

"What about you, Iwasawa?" asked Hisako. "Do you remember anything?"

"..._Kind of_..." the musician replied quietly.

"Kind of?" Kimiko repeated. "What do you mean 'kind of'? What exactly is your mind picking up?"

Iwasawa pursed her lips as she could feel her brain retrieving an extremely vague memory...

** _With a mighty roar, Sadahiro charged towards a wall and slammed himself hard against it, using Otonashi and Hasumi as cushions. This forced both teenagers to let go of him easily, and once they did, Sadahiro punched and stomped on both of them repeatedly until they were left squirming on the ground._ **

"I remember...a lot of pain..." she said.

"A lot of pain?" Otonashi asked with concern.

"Pain... That was the first thing I felt when I woke up, so to speak."

"Pain..." Hisako repeated. "You know...that was the first thing I felt as well when I came to."

"Same here!" Shiori added.

"Ditto!" added Miyuki.

"Yeah, that's right!" Noda exclaimed. "I mean, I woke up while being beat up by that asshole!"

"I think that must've been what brought us back," Iwasawa said. "It's like we were sleeping in those bodies, but all that beating was what it took to wake us up!" She then chuckled dryly. "Pain is what brought us back, ironically..."

Upon hearing these recollections, Otonashi felt a memory of his own return to his head.

** _"Takaha..."_ **

** _"Look at who... here..."_ **

** _"...ko!"_ **

** _"...love a figh..."_ **

** _"Oof! Agh! Ack!"_ **

** _"...not hurt him!"_ **

** _"...hashi!"_ **

** _"...here to hel..."_ **

** _"Please... -er go..."_ **

** _"Keep him al..."_ **

**_"...mighty _Ka_..."_**

** _"No..."_ **

"I was attacked..." he said.

"What, Otonashi?" asked Kanade.

"I was attacked." Otonashi looked at Kanade and the others. "When Chouko was taken, Takahashi tried to stop him, but they gave him a beating. I woke up in his blood..." He clutched his head and felt a considerably-sized lump on his scalp. "I- I mean, _Takahashi_ got hit in the head really hard, and that's what brought me back..."

"So what you're saying is that we have to hit these bozos in the head until our friends come back?" Noda asked, referring to Kimiko and her group. Then, he grinned toothily as he twirled his machete. "Sounds like a great plan to me!"

"Uh, I do not agree with this plan!" exclaimed Mutsuto. "Not at all! I didn't sign up for a whacking on the head!"

"D-D-Does that mean _we_ have to be hit in the head too...?" asked Royama as he cowered behind an unsettled Hiroto.

"_Relax_, Noda," Otonashi interjected sternly. "_No one_ is getting their heads hit tonight."

"Not even that asshole who keeps eyeballing Shiina?" Noda pointed his thumb at Royama, who was trying to sneak quick looks at C's figure, especially her exposed legs.

"We never even _knew_ him in the Afterlife!" Otonashi then eyed Noda's weapon warily. "And put that machete down, man! It's not your halberd, and you're gonna seriously hurt someone with it!"

"It's close enough..." Noda grumbled with disappointment as he lowered the melee weapon.

"So what do we do now?" Miyuki asked. "We're not gonna get anywhere if we don't know what the cult's next move is!"

"Well, one thing's for damn sure," Naotatsu replied, looking around with concern. "We can't stay here. Who knows if the cult has got eyes on us?"

"We definitely can't stay outdoors for any longer," Hiroto added. "The government has issued a shelter-in-place order. It's a miracle the police haven't caught us yet, and I don't think Teams B, C, and D were able to last just as long as us."

Kimiko and Naotatsu looked at each other with guilt. They didn't even want to imagine what happened to the rest of the Global Awareness Club...

"We need a place to crash," Royama concluded.

"Well, we can't go back to Last Stop now," warned Chazawa. "That place is probably swarming with police or cultists right now, given the mess we left behind."

"Oh, no..." Natsumi moaned as she held her cat. "My home..."

"So where do we go now?" Shiori asked.

"Definitely not my place!" Royama instinctively shouted, his voice cracking. "If the cult tracks us down there and my folks find out I've been dancing with them, they're gonna bury me for sure! If I survive the cult, that is!"

"I volunteer my house," Asahara suddenly said, and everyone's eyes flitted towards him. "But it's a ways away."

"Where?" Kimiko asked.

"Mitaka."

"That's an hour away on foot. We're gonna need a car."

"You can count on us!" Mutsuto exclaimed as C suddenly procured a toolbox. "Stealing cars is one of our specialties! Just point out the car you want and we can hijack it before you can say 'uncle'!"

"Awesome!" exclaimed Kimiko. "Let's do this!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Royama cried, stopping everyone in their tracks. "We-We're actually gonna steal a _car_? Isn't that, like, a _crime_, you guys?"

"You already defied the government's order to shelter in place," Otonashi deadpanned, staring at his fellow redhead with confusion. "Carjacking should be the least of your concerns right now."

...

"Oh yeah, that's right. Heh heh heh. Onward to Mitaka, then!"

* * *

**Last Stop Apartments  
** **Several minutes later**

The unkempt, grimy vagrants milled around in front of Last Stop Apartments, trying to take whatever valuables that they could find on the unconscious bodies of the cultists, who were all tied up. As for the corpses of Sadahiro Hashimoto and Fuuta Ukiyo, their post-mortem arrangements were in stark contrast to one another: Sadahiro was left the way he was, while Fuuta was taken inside the apartment and laid to rest at the bottom of the staircase, with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

Despite the attempt to protect Fuuta's body from potential looters, one particularly elderly homeless man found his way into the apartment with ease and stumbled upon the corpse. His eyes quickly caught the Mao cap in their sights, and the vagrant stared at it with interest for a minute. He had always liked Mao caps.

At that moment, police sirens pierced the air, and the man saw his fellow vagrants dashing into the nearby alleyways for shelter. Making a quick decision, the man reached forward to grab the Mao cap.

But once his fingers closed down upon the brim of the cap, Fuuta's hand automatically shot up and grabbed the would-be thief's wrist.

**"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"** shrieked the homeless man, his poor heart powerfully hammering rapidly against his sternum like a powerful jackhammer.

**"_AAAAA_****_AAAAARRRRR_****_RRRRRGGGGG_****_GGGGGHHHHH_****_HHHHH_!"** screamed Naoi at the top of his lungs, as dark blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.

* * *

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_FAILED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_FAILED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_FAILED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_FAILED_ **

** _RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_FAILED_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, this fic just turned into a horror story. XP
> 
> But yes, Fuuta has survived! Only...he's NOT Fuuta anymore! Le gasp!
> 
> And there was quite a lot of exposition with this chapter. Now we know a way on how to bring back more SSS members! But do Otonashi and Kanade want to resort to that measure? After all, like Kanade said, they are playing with lives that should've had nothing to do with them in the first place...
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	27. Preparation for the Operation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I'm feeling particularly generous today, this will be the final chapter of a triple-update! HOORAY!
> 
> ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 25: PREPARATION FOR THE OPERATION**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - ** _ **Post-Afterlife Name** _

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Takamatsu - _Takayoshi Asahara_

Yusa - _Rikana Egami_

Ōyama - _Hozumi Karubo_

Takeyama - _Touya Hamada_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

TK - _Tyler Kendall_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

Chazawa - _Chaa_

* * *

_ **RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_FAILED** _

_ **RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_FAILED** _

_ **RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_FAILED** _

_ **RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_FAILED** _

_ **RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_FAILED** _

* * *

**Nishitōkyō** **, Japan**

The rumbling of the engine and the strange yet serene music were all they could hear.

Currently, Otonashi, Kanade, Kimiko, and most of their group were cramped inside an old, rickety van with ugly beige sides and an equally ugly white roof. Its headlights were dim as they illuminated just a few feet of the street ahead, making driving conditions all the more ugly. Mutsuto was behind the wheel, Otonashi and Kanade were sharing the passenger seat, while Kimiko and many others were stuffed in the back, as if they thought the van was one of those small clown vehicles that could fit way more than one would expect.

This sight, coupled with the music that sounded like it came from a bygone century, made the entire situation _extremely_ awkward for everyone involved.

Eventually, after a prolonged moment of tense silence, Hiroto asked, "Couldn't we have picked a better car than this?"

"It was the only one C and I could find that could fit more than four people," Mutsuto replied flatly. "And just in case you guys didn't know, we were running on a tight schedule, so we couldn't take the risk of hijacking a whole bunch of cars. Besides, you guys _clearly_ don't know how to drive."

"But do _you_ know how to drive?" Iwasawa asked.

"Of course I do!"

"You say that _just_ as you pass a red light..." deadpanned Hisako.

"Who cares about a stupid red light?! _No one else is out here_! CAT!"

Mutsuto violently swerved to the right just in time to avoid a tabby cat that was jauntily crossing the road. But he couldn't quickly recover, and the van skidded towards the concrete sidewalk, where a row of trash cans filled with fly-infested garbage were waiting. The vehicle was dangerously close to tipping over on its side from Mutsuto's turn.

"SIDEWALK, SIDEWALK, SIDEWALK!" Otonashi shrieked.

Everyone except Kanade (who was maintaining a comical poker-face) screamed at the top of their lungs as Mutsuto tried to avoid the trash cans. He almost succeeded in this endeavor, though everyone heard some high-pitched scraping on the right side, as well as some grunts and cries of disgust from the outside. Once Mutsuto made another turn on the street, the van was brought back to its normal balance, and a collective sigh of relief ensued.

"WHEE!" Natsumi cried, clapping her hands giddily. "Let's do that again!"

She didn't notice her cat Yuri, who was clinging onto Fujimaki's unfortunate face for dear life. The teenage boy was crying and straining as he tried to detach the feline from his facial skin.

"WHEW!" Mutsuto cried as he wiped some sweat from his forehead. "Now that was _close_!"

"You could say _that_ again," Asahara growled, rubbing his head. "Who the hell put _you_ behind the wheel?!"

"_Chillax_, you guys," Mutsuto replied calmly and confidently. "We're alive, and that's the important thing." Then, he took a brief glance at the roof. "I wonder how C and the others are doing up there?"

Meanwhile, outside the van, there was an even more awkward situation taking place.

Because the vehicle couldn't fit absolutely everyone in the group, some had decided to take positions outside. C was hanging on the roof with ease, Royama and Chazawa were hanging on the right side, and Noda was coolly hanging on the left side. Right now, Royama's face, chest, and legs were caked with garbage, while Chazawa was smirking at him.

"Hey, thanks for taking a bullet for me, man," Chazawa said. "I just had these clothes washed last week."

"PWAH, PWAH! **PWAH!** GODDAMN IT!" snapped Royama. With utter dismay, he struggled to wipe his face and swat flies away with one hand while the other clung onto the side. "And I wanted to take a pantie-shot too! OW! HEY!"

C stoically twirled her wooden shinai and put it back in its holster.

"How foolish..."

* * *

**Unknown location**

Kimiko blinked once. She was standing in the hallway of an unfamiliar house, painted in bright orange from a setting Sun. For some reason, everything around her was slightly larger than usual, and there was a tense, unsettling aura enveloping the entire place. It was as if her body was telling her she shouldn't be here...and yet, her heart was telling her she should be.

_"Where...Where _am _I...?"_ she thought.

"ONEE-CHAN!"

The three voices shouted in unison, startling Kimiko. She twirled around and saw...

"Naomi?" she asked. "Tamika? Kaisei-chan?"

It _was_ her three younger siblings. But...they looked younger in the literal sense. Naomi's hair wasn't even dyed black like in the present day; instead, it shared the same magenta hue as Kimiko's.

"ONEE-CHAN!" Their faces were filled with fear. "HELP US!"

At first, Kimiko didn't know what they meant by that. Then, she saw the knives in the air, held by shadowy tentacles of arms. She could feel the stares of feral eyes.

"NO!" Kimiko screamed, her voice coming out like a little girl's.

"You're the oldest," a mighty voice snarled. "Don't you know where your parents keep important things? Things your parents told you to always take care of _real_ good? Things to give robbers to make 'em _leave_? They told you wild stuff like that, _right_?"

Kimiko started sweating bullets. "I-Im-Important things?!" she squeaked timidly in response. "B-But...I-I don't know-"

"Now go look for it!" the voice interrupted. "If I don't like what you show me, I'm afraid I'll have to take your siblings from you one by one!"

"_WHAT_?! NO!"

"One dies every ten minutes unless you bring me _something_!"

"NO! I...I don't what you would consider valuable-"

One knife swung, and Kaisei was decapitated within a split-second. His blood sprayed all over like a fountain, painting over the orange walls with red.

**"NOOOOO!"**

"Better not waste anymore time, little girl."

Kimiko immediately tried to move, but her body wouldn't budge. She was rooted to the spot, like a statue.

"NO!" she screamed as she stared at Naomi and Tamika's helpless forms, and Kaisei's lifeless corpse. "NO, NO, NO! WHAT IS THIS?! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"

In the background, she could hear another girl panting and whimpering faintly. But she didn't have time to pay that voice any heed, for another knife swung. This time, it was Tamika who fell to the ground, her blood spouting horrifically. More of the house was painted red, and rain could be heard outside. Kimiko felt her face become warm, and it made her want to vomit.

"NO!" she screamed again. "STOP IT! **STOP IT!** DON'T HURT THEM! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING! I'LL DO **ANYTHING**! JUST DON'T HURT MY SIBLINGS!"

Then, she heard something shatter.

"OW!"

Kimiko winced and looked down at her hand. To her surprise, there was a deep cut on the tip of her middle finger, and crimson blood was leaking out of it and trickling down her finger, to her palm...

"Tough luck, kiddo."

**"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

Kimiko's face was sprayed with Naomi's blood. She gagged and coughed from the smell of it, and when she opened her eyes, everything was red. Her sisters and brother were all lying on the ground, and she didn't even want to look at everything above the chest. The pungent smell of iron started leaking into the house from the outside.

Finally, she could move, and the first thing she could do was collapse on her knees in disbelief.

_"_Why_?"_ she instinctively thought. _"Why did this have to _happen_? They're...They're just _children_! Why would God allow this to happen?! He wouldn't, would He?"_ Then, as she stared at the bodies of her beloved siblings, she clenched her fists so tightly they threatened to draw blood. _"He wouldn't...unless He didn't care... God didn't care... He didn't care at all... And He's supposed to be our Father in Heaven... What a _joke_."_

Suddenly, Kimiko realized those weren't her thoughts. Her brain seemed to be acting on its own, like it was following a script, but her soul knew better.

**"This is your chance."**

Kimiko gasped and looked around. She could've sworn she heard...her own voice speaking to her... But she couldn't see the speaker anywhere.

**"You have to right this wrong."**

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Kimiko called, her mind reeling from the surreal nature of the situation. "_WHERE_ ARE YOU?!"

**"Go, Kimiko."**

"Wh-What?!"

**"Go!"**

* * *

**Mitaka, Japan**

"GO!"

Yuri's eyelids shot open, and she jerked upward on instinct, her hand raised. Then, Kimiko realized she was surrounded by sheets of silver metal, and was confused at first. Then, she realized Otonashi, Kanade, and the others were staring at her with alarm and confusion. And then, she realized the van they were in was no longer moving.

"_Go_?" repeated Hisako, taken aback. "What do you mean 'go'?"

"Do you have to go to the bathroom or something...?" Shiori asked, right before she was lightly smacked in the head by Iwasawa.

"Why in the world would you come to that conclusion?" the pink-haired teenager asked disapprovingly as she rubbed her palm. "We're in a _van_, for Pete's sake."

"Is everything alright, Ki-Kimiko?" Otonashi asked hesitantly.

"I...I don't know..." Kimiko replied. She looked down at her hand and realized the tip of her middle finger was no longer cut...and yet, she could still feel its horrible prickling sensation. "I...I think...I had a dream..."

"A dream?" Kanade's interest was immediately piqued, and she leaned forward slightly. "A dream of what?"

Kimiko's sea-green eyes narrowed, and she pursed her lips. Everyone stared at her expectantly, waiting for some kind of answer, but she didn't give them any. Otonashi's brow furrowed with puzzlement, but then, his mind suddenly flashed back to an image of Yuri sitting against a rock wall, her face broken and somber...

The door of the van suddenly slid open, revealing Mutsuto and C. Mutsuto was wearing a wide and triumphant grin on his face, while C looked stoic and cold as usual.

"We're here!" the stocky teenage boy announced.

Everyone seemed to forget about Kimiko's dream, for they poured out of the vehicle and were instantly greeted by the sharp, cold temperatures of the night. Asahara looked up at the tall but homely-looking apartment complex, and pointed towards one of the upper floors.

"There," he announced. "I live on the thirteenth floor."

"Huh," Hisako remarked as he followed Asahara's finger. "That looks like quite a nice place."

"Yeah," added an impressed Chazawa. "It's definitely better than that shit-hole over at Last Stop."

"Something tells me I should be offended by that statement..." deadpanned Noda, his eyes idle.

"Alright, then," Kimiko suddenly announced, walking forward. "Let's get going. We've got no time to waste."

"N-N-No time to _waste_?" Royama asked. Then, he took the time to yawn loudly before continuing. "Kimiko...can't we just take a quick nap-?"

"NO NAPS!" The magenta-haired girl suddenly rushed forward and seized her fellow club member by the collar. Royama squeaked with fear as her sea-green eyes stared deep into his own, boring holes into them with their intensity. "WE ARE **NOT** GONNA TAKE ANY NAPS UNTIL WE GET MY SISTERS AND MY BROTHER BACK! YOU GOT IT?!"

Royama nodded frantically, as if his life depended on it. Fortunately, Kimiko promptly let go of him and marched towards the apartment complex. The rest of the befuddled group stared after her, surprised that she apparently forgot about the dream she mentioned so quickly, and was now so quick to stress and anger. Regardless, everyone else started following her...with the sole exception of Otonashi, who continued to stare at Kimiko with concern.

_ **"It's just too unfair. We never did anything wrong; we were just kids. ...We were just ** _ **kids** _ **. I was confident I was the cool big sister up until that day. But I lost everything I wanted to protect in 30 minutes. That's too unfair. How could I ever forgive God for that?"** _

_"This whole situation,"_ he thought pitifully. _"It's starting to become more and more like what happened to Yuri. Only...it's like seeing it happen in real time. I'm pretty much watching Yuri crumble before my very eyes...and her siblings are not even dead yet!"_ Then, Otonashi realized what he was thinking, and clenched his fists tightly. _"No. I can't think of it that way. I _have _to help her. I have to help Kimiko. I can't let her suffer like Yuri suffered. I can't let her become Yuri."_

With a newfound conviction, Otonashi strolled after the others as they entered the building.

_"Don't worry, Kimiko. I'll help you save your siblings. I promise."_

* * *

**Last Stop Apartments, ** **Nishitōkyō** **, Japan**

The police cruiser containing Fukuyama, Sekine, Kuramoto, Rikana, and Sachiyo skidded to a sudden stop at the crime scene. Sekine was behind the wheel, while Kuramoto was in the passenger seat. As for Fukuyama, she was sitting in the backseat with Rikana and Sachiyo, who were handcuffed securely to each other and the gate-like barrier that separated them from the front seat.

Once the three officers stepped out of the vehicle, they were greeted with an unusual sight. Over a dozen men wearing fake police uniforms were lined up and facing the wall of a dilapidated, gloomy apartment complex, their hands cuffed and behind their backs. Several armed police officers were observing them, while homeless men were being interviewed by unarmed officers and detectives. There was also a body bag and an occupied ambulance close by.

"Well," Sekine remarked, "this is one strange development after another. Wonder what's next?"

"Do you think those could be the cultists?" Kuramoto asked, pointing towards the cuffed men.

"We'll see about that," replied Fukuyama. She then glared at Rikana and Sachiyo, who were staring up at her defiantly. "You two, stay here."

She was only met with dead silence and hardened stares as a response. The policewoman promptly walked towards the nearest officer interviewing a vagrant and quickly showed them her badge.

"Tokyo Metropolitan Police," she said. "What happened here?"

"What do I get in return...?" the vagrant asked suspiciously.

"A place to sleep."

"Will it be free?"

"...Yeah. It'll be for free."

"With a nice pillow and everythin'?"

"Only the best the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has to offer. Now talk."

"Sorry, ma'am," the officer said, shaking his head as he put away his notepad. "I promised him the exact same thing but he wouldn't talk-"

"There was a big fight in the streets, a _very_ big fight!" the vagrant suddenly exclaimed enthusiastically. "So many booms everywhere! Boom this, boom that! Lots of yelling! Ain't seen nothin' like it!" He looked around and then leaned in, as if he was about to tell a really dark secret. "A man died too."

"A man died," Fukuyama repeated. She pointed towards the body bag, which was now being carried by employees of the coroner's office. "Is that the person you're talking about?"

"Yep, that's the one!"

Fukuyama stared at the other officer. "Who's the victim? An innocent bystander?"

"Nope," the older man replied. "It's none other than Sadahiro Hashimoto."

Fukuyama's eyebrows shot up with surprise. "Sadahiro Hashimoto? You're kidding me."

"No, ma'am. We've got witnesses saying he was the one leading those men." He pointed towards the cuffed men lined up against the wall. "We have no ID on any of them, and they're not saying a thing. But they were well-equipped and ready. Kinda like they were gonna go to war or something. As was Hashimoto. Certainly not the actions of a famous, respected businessman in police protection."

The woman's amethyst eyes narrowed. "So I guess Igarashi-san's assumptions were correct... Sadahiro Hashimoto _was_ the leader of the cult all along. Quite the smoke-and-mirror tactic." She looked back at the policeman. "Do you have any idea what they were doing here?"

"He-He talked to my friend!" the vagrant suddenly blurted. "Said he was lookin' for somethin'!"

Fukuyama looked back at her interviewee. "Something? Keep talking."

"O-Or more like some_one_! Yeah, showed 'im a picture and everythin'! Pretty lil' girl, silver hair! Like an angel!"

_"Chouko..."_ Fukuyama thought with realization. Then, she asked, "Do you have any idea who or what killed him?"

"That girl! Had a big sword and everythin'! It was magical!"

"...Come again...?"

"Oh, boy..." the policeman said, shaking his head. "This is where we venture into Cloud Cuckoo Land."

Fukuyama looked at her fellow officer. "What do you mean?"

"Other witnesses are saying these men fought against a group of kids with guns. And get this, it sounds like the kids also had military training or something. It sounded so outlandish, like an anime."

"At this point, even the outlandish must be taken seriously." Fukuyama looked back at the homeless man once again. "By any chance, do you know what any of those kids looked like?"

"I know one of 'em was a boy with red hair," the man replied.

"Arata Takahashi," Fukuyama whispered to herself. Then, she smiled kindly and bowed her head at the vagrant. "I thank you for your help. This officer here will take you to a shelter now."

She prepared to leave when the vagrant suddenly called out, "Be careful of 'em zombies!"

She stopped and turned around. "Zombies?"

"Yeah!" The man suddenly scratched his cheek sheepishly with his index finger. "...I, er, wanted to _borrow_ this dead kid's nice-lookin' Mao cap. I-I mean, he _had_ to have been dead! Kid got shot up and all! B-B-But then, th-the kid ain't so dead anymore! L-Like a zombie! A zombie, I tell ya!"

"The zombie in question is in that ambulance..." the officer deadpanned, pointing Fukuyama to the right direction.

Without any further hesitation, Fukuyama walked as fast as she could towards the ambulance, whose lights were shining brightly in the night. Indeed, she could see a teenage boy on a stretcher, his face covered with an oxygen mask and two paramedics attending to him.

"Tokyo Metropolitan Police," she called, catching the attention of the paramedics. "I need to talk this boy immediately."

"Sorry, no can do," one of the paramedics replied. "He's in critical right now. We need to take him to a hospital."

"Which hospital are you taking him to?"

"Nishitōkyōchūō General," the other paramedic replied.

_"Small world..."_ Then, Fukuyama said aloud, "I'll be following right behind you."

The second paramedic nodded with affirmation and then closed the ambulance doors on Fukuyama. She quickly strolled back to the police cruiser, where Sekine and Kuramoto were waiting.

"Fukuyama," Sekine said. "What's the next move?"

"We're going back to Nishitōkyōchūō General," the policewoman replied.

"N-Nishitōkyōchūō General?!" exclaimed Kuramoto. "But we were _just _there!"

"What's over at the hospital, besides Igarashi-san?!" Sekine cried.

"A possible witness. Now, come on. Let's go."

"But we haven't seen any action for hours!" moaned Kuramoto. He then looked at the men lined up against the wall and pointed at them. "Can't we just interview those cultists and see what they were up to?!"

"I need a couple of guys to back me up in case something goes wrong!" Fukuyama then narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "And if I'm not mistaken, this whole debacle is happening because _you two_ lost track of Arata Takahashi in the first place. As far as I'm concerned, you're not entitled to any action right now!"

Sekine's face paled considerably, while Kuramoto sweat-dropped with embarrassment.

"O-Okay..." Kuramoto responded with defeat.

"What about those girls over there?" Sekine asked, pointing at Rikana and Sachiyo.

"We don't have time to get them processed," replied Fukuyama. She stared at the two girls with suspicion for a brief but silent moment before continuing, "They're coming with us. Perhaps they know something about what happened as well."

"Ar-Are you sure about that...?"

The policewoman stared at him flatly. "So you think they disregarded a government order to shelter in place indefinitely for absolutely no reason other than to get some kicks for youth's sake?"

Sekine's shoulders slumped slightly with defeat. "...N-No..."

"I thought so."

* * *

**Room 13026** **, Mitaka, Japan**

"It's official. I'M IN **HEAVEN**!"

Without a second thought, Chazawa collapsed on top of the luxury sofa and started snuggling up against its pillows and cushions like a loving puppy. Meanwhile, the others explored every last inch of the apartment, gawking at all the space, rooms, and high-class furniture it had to offer.

"_Whoa_," Noda said as he opened up the food cabinet, being greeted with an assortment of food brands that he could only see in an upscale supermarket. "I never knew you were so stinkin' _rich_, dude!"

"We're not," Asahara replied indifferently.

"But surely your parents must've had good jobs to be able to afford this," Iwasawa said as she watched Miyuki and Shiori playing with the automatic faucet.

"My dad was a construction worker. My mom hasn't been in the picture for quite a while."

"Then surely you've got a relative who's loaded, right?!" asked Mutsuto.

"My two uncles are in prison for petty theft and insurance fraud. My aunt is in America with her soon-to-be seventh ex-husband. My cousins are all drunkards who are probably being booked for sexual harassment as we speak."

"Did you get an inheritance?" asked Hisako.

"I am descended from a long line of blue-collar workers who made a bunch of bad investments and couldn't hold on to a single yen coin even if their lives depended on it."

"O-Okay," Hiroto replied, becoming even more confused with every explanation Asahara gave. "Then you probably know someone who was generous enough to give you money."

"If that really was the case, I'd be in federal prison by now."

"...Someone who was generous enough to give you a place to crash...?"

"We'd all be in a drug den, then."

Hiroto sweat-dropped, while Noda concluded, "Okay, lemme guess...you got it through a lottery."

...

"Nope."

"_What_?!" Otonashi cried. "How the hell do you live here, then?! Did the homeowners take you in or something?!"

"Not really."

...

...

...

"Are you saying we just broke into someone's apartment?"

"Yep."

Everyone fell over anime-style, except for Kanade and C.

"You guys should've realized that the moment he started picking the lock," C said coldly. "How foolish."

"Oh, _now_ you tell us that!" Hiroto snapped.

"Hey, don't snap at my girl like that!" cried Royama.

C closed her eyes. "I'm not your girl."

"_Please_ tell me you know the owners will not be home for a while..." moaned Otonashi as he sat back up and glanced at Asahara.

"An asshole classmate of mine lives here. He's currently in France because his parents are on business."

Everyone sighed with relief, except for Kanade and C.

"They won't be back until 10:00 A.M."

"THAT'S IN TWELVE HOURS!" everyone screamed, except for Kanade and C.

"Probably less than that."

"WE'VE GOT LESS THAN TWELVE HOURS HERE?!"

"Pretty much."

"IT WOULDN'T HAVE HURT TO GIVE US A HEADS-UP ON THAT!"

Fortunately, it didn't take all that long for the group to settle down from their shock over Asahara's lies. It took a grand total of five minutes, actually. Once that was over with, and sincere apologies were given by Asahara, everyone decided to congregate in the study, including an increasingly sleepy Royama.

"Alright, first thing's first..." Kimiko said while sitting on the head desk. She turned her head towards Otonashi, Kanade, Noda, Iwasawa, Hisako, Miyuki, and Shiori. "You guys mentioned at the park that you saw Hashimoto's files and figured out what he planned to do next for the cult."

"That's correct," Otonashi replied.

"So then, what _is_ the cult's next move?"

Otonashi and Kanade looked at each other reluctantly, before the latter replied, "It's complicated."

"We're all in some stranger's apartment without their permission. I think I can handle some more complications."

Otonashi and Kanade fleetingly looked at each other again before the former hesitantly replied, "We think Hashimoto has completed an arsenal of nuclear weapons that he planned to use on Japan."

"N-_Nuclear weapons_?!" Naotatsu exclaimed, while Yumie whimpered fearfully. "Y-You mean like...like dirty bombs?"

"No," Kanade replied. "_Actual_ atomic bombs. We don't know how he got the components and tools necessary to build an atomic bomb, but there were schematics in the files, along with detailed plans of how and where he's going to use them. Judging by how the cult seems to be increasing the magnitude of their activities, it seems as if the weapons are all ready for use."

Everyone stared at Otonashi and Kanade with horror and disbelief. Even Royama's drowsiness was completely gone.

"Are-Are you saying Hashimoto is going to nuke the country?!" exclaimed Hiroto. "_Sadahiro Hashimoto_?!"

"I'm afraid so."

"Do you know what places he plans to hit?" Mutsuto asked.

Kanade's golden eyes narrowed. "His files say he wants to hit everywhere. All the way from Hokkaido to Kyushu."

"_Everywhere_?!" exclaimed Mutsuto, his skin paling.

Kanade nodded. "I do not know how many the cult has exactly, but if Hashimoto's ambitions are to believed, he has one nuclear weapon for every region in the country."

"That means they have at least eight," Kimiko remarked bitterly. "That amount of radiation... The bombs themselves will only kill tens of thousands at most, but the radiation will probably be enough to finish off everyone else in the country."

"It'll be a nuclear holocaust..." C concluded, her normally cold and stoic voice slightly shaky.

"Are you guys telling me we're all gonna DIE?!" Royama shouted, his voice cracking.

Kimiko clenched her teeth. "_No one_ is gonna die! Not tonight, not tomorrow, not ever!" She stood up from the desk with a defiant expression. "We're gonna stop those maniacs! We're gonna stop them from carrying out their plan _and_ save my siblings!"

"Oh, **HELL NO**!" Royama stood up and began to walk out of the study with his hands up in the air. "I was totally alright with defying the shelter-in-place order! I was pretty cool with stealing a crappy van and hanging on its side while it drove at high speeds! I was absolutely fine with breaking into some awesome apartment! But this...this crap is too much, even for _us_, Kimiko!"

The redhead stopped at the doorway and turned around to face his peers. There was an absolutely terrified look etched on his face, not that Otonashi blamed him.

"We're all still in high school," he continued, "and you...y-you want all of us to go out and stop a bunch of terrorists from carrying out a plan to n-_nuke_ the entire country?! Which could happen in a few hours or minutes from now?!"

"I'm not saying _you_ had to come, Royama," snarled Kimiko. "But where else do you expect to go, though? I really doubt your parents are gonna believe what you'll have to say for them. You can't book a flight out of Japan overnight."

"She's right, Royama," Otonashi added. "None of us have anywhere to go, not when multiple nukes are concerned. The only thing we can do now is figure out where the cult is keeping those nukes and disarm them before they can be used."

"HELL, NO!" Royama shouted. "I'M NOT GONNA FIGHT A CULT OF LOONIES AND RISK MY LIFE WHILE DISARMING SOME GODDAMN ATOMIC BOMB! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH PRESSURE THAT'LL BE ON ALL OF US?!"

"So...you're telling me you're okay with being fried by a nuclear blast?" Fujimaki asked, his voice deadly. "Or suffering a slow, miserable death to nuclear radiation?"

"Definitely NOT! But Kimiko..." He gestured to himself. "We're. All. _Still_. In. HIGH SCHOOL! We all have dreams to pursue after graduation! _I_ have dreams to pursue!"

"I don't recall you having dreams after high school..." deadpanned Hiroto.

"That's beside the point! None of us are _qualified_ to handle this kind of shit!"

** _"And what about our friends from the SSS who still haven't regained their memories? They're completely different people now, and we're asking them for their help even if it's not in their place to help."_ **

Kanade's words from earlier rang in Otonashi's head, and the redhead's gaze softened. He realized that not only did her words apply to the SSS members who had yet to regain their memories of the Afterlife, such as Hinata and Yui, but also to the members of this Global Awareness Club that he did not recognize: Hiroto Sekozawa and Fuyumi Royama. And God knows how many other strangers were in this club, faithfully following Kimiko's orders and assisting her efforts to rescue her siblings...

** _"I understand what you're saying, Kanade. I really do. But this country is in danger. Millions are going to die, and we're the only ones with the tools and knowledge to stop this from happening!"_ **

"Royama," he said, catching the fellow redhead's attention, "if you want to leave, you may. You're right. None of us are qualified for this kind of situation. I could easily counter that with stories of what I and others did in the Afterlife, but I'm perfectly aware of how futile such a counterargument would be. After all, this isn't the Afterlife; this is the real world. A world where people die and are unable to re-spawn like a video game. I'm not asking you to believe you can overcome this boundary, for such a mindset is unbelievably naive and misguided, not to mention extremely dangerous.

"But, the thing is..." Otonashi looked down at his outstretched palm. "_I_ thought I was unqualified to watch over the well-being of ten or so people, in a dark tunnel, after a horrific train crash. I thought my lack of experience would lead to the deaths of everyone who thought they had survived something so terrible, so unthinkable. I thought I was going to be the death of them. But I did _not_ let that stop me from doing the right thing. And I did what I thought was right, even at the cost of my life."

He looked back up at Royama. "I'm not stopping you from leaving, Royama. You may leave if you so wish. But you have to understand that doing the right thing doesn't require qualifications. It's a duty, a responsibility. And it's something you have to take when it becomes apparent there's no one else to take it." Otonashi promptly placed his hands on Royama's shoulders and stared into his eyes with absolute determination. "I can't blame you for choosing self-preservation, but in a dire situation like this, you have to think of the bigger picture. Millions of lives are at risk if we do not act quickly."

By that point, Royama's eyes were wide with awe at Otonashi's speech. Then, he nervously replied, "Y-You know, you're saying you don't wanna stop me from leaving, but it sounds like you actually _are_-"

"And you're gonna let that stop you from leaving?" Otonashi interrupted.

...

"Is this supposed to be a trick question or something...?"

"Enough!" Kimiko snapped, startling both boys. "Royama, are you leaving or not?!"

"Alright, alright!" Royama shrugged off Otonashi's grip and prepared to leave the room. "I'm leaving! I'm gonna go find some bunker and hide out in it! If anyone wants to join me on this impromptu slumber party, then-"

"You're not even gonna think about the millions of lives at risk, just as Yuzuru Otonashi mentioned?" C interrupted, her eyes closed. "_The_ Yuzuru Otonashi?" She suddenly scoffed. "How foolish-"

"Hey, I'm not foolish! And I'm not cowardly either!"

"N-No one said you were being cowardly, man-" began Hiroto.

"I happen to like people who are brave and think about others," C suddenly said with a crafty smile on her face. "I think they're pretty hot, actually."

Royama abruptly sat down on a chair and asked enthusiastically, "What's the plan, guys?!"

Otonashi sweat-dropped at the other boy's sudden shift in behavior. "_Really_?" he asked in a flat voice. "All it took to get you to stay was not some inspirational speech, but a _bluff_?"

"Hey, it's just like you said!" Royama raised an index finger and repeated in a laughably noble voice, "Millions of lives are at risk if we do not act quickly."

C sighed softly. "How very foolish..." she whispered.

Kimiko scowled at the grinning Royama before scanning the rest of the group. "Before we begin with the plan," she said, "is there anyone else who wants to leave?"

"Nope," Noda replied as he twirled his machete around. "I'm still in! In fact, I'm ready to kick some ass like the good ole days!"

"What good ole days...?" deadpanned Fujimaki. "You kept dying all the time in the Afterlife, remember?"

"Says the guy who can't swim."

"Hey! I'm in a new body, so I can probably excel in that!"

"Yeah, you're in a new body, alright. The body of a psycho!"

Fujimaki pursed his lips and looked away with an ambiguous expression, while Mutsuto and C stepped forward.

"We're in as well," Mutsuto said. "For much of our lives, we've relied on scraps that we pickpocket day by day. If we are really gonna get nuked, we might as well try and do something worthwhile!"

"I concur," Asahara added. "I've made it my life's mission to avenge my father and defeat that cult. If this is the trial that I must endure in order to accomplish that, then so be it!" He crossed his arms. "I will follow you to the ends of this Earth without question, Kimiko Nishimura! I swear to it on my honor, and that of my family!"

"Y-You don't need to go _that_ far, man," Naotatsu said, "but okay."

"What about you, Naotatsu?" Kimiko asked, turning towards the blue-haired boy. "Are you in, or are you out?"

"Well, it doesn't look like I have any other choice."

"Are you sure about that, man?" Hiroto asked, surprised. "You're not worried about dying?"

"Not at all. After all, I have my parents and little brother to think about." Then, all of a sudden, Naotatsu looked down at his hand. "It would be foolish and inconsiderate of me to prioritize self-preservation over all else. Otonashi is right in that regard. I can dream all I want about an alternative, but this is reality. And no matter how thin it can be, there is _always_ a line separating dreams from reality." He looked up at the others determinedly. "And this reality, no matter how cold and unforgiving it may be, is _my _reality. There's no way I'm gonna let some group of maniacs take that away from me."

_ **"** _ **_And no matter how thin it can be, there is _always_ a line separating dreams from reality."_**

Kanade found herself taken aback by that particular sentence upon hearing it. No, they weren't insightful in any way, nor did the tone leave a lasting impact on her. And yet, there was something about those words that triggered the cogs and gears within her mind to start moving. It was as if they were supposed to be _important_ to her...

_ **"T** _ **_here is _always_ a line separating dreams from reality."_**

_"A line separating dreams from reality..."_ Kanade thought. _"No matter how thin it can be... Why does that sound...?"_

Her mind suddenly flashed back to something from what seemed to be a very, very long time ago...

_"A dream cannot be reality as well. For you, this is a dream. But for me, this is reality. And we're standing on the line that separates the two concepts. But it looks like that line is fading."_

_ **Upon remembering Kanade's response, Chouko went back to her laptop and continued typing.** _

**Line between reality and dreams fading**

_ **The first result was a discussion board called 'A Thin Line Separating Dream from Reality', which was on a forum titled 'Realm of Social Anxieties'. The result was dated January 15, 2026.** _

_ **Earlier that year.** _

"'A Thin Line Separating Dream from Reality!'" Kanade suddenly blurted out aloud, her gold eyes burning with realization. "That's it!"

Everyone's eyes were immediately trained on her.

"Wh-What's it, Kanade...?" Otonashi asked.

"H-Huh?" Kanade looked around and realized everyone was staring at her before putting on a laughable poker-face. "Oh, nothing. I just...liked the way he said that, that's all."

"_Oooookaaaaay_..."

"Well, anyway," Hiroto spoke up, "if Naotatsu's in, then I guess I'm in too. I've got a family that can't go anywhere else too. As long as you guys got a plan, then I'm all up for it. Might as well do something meaningful in life before I go into some cruddy working-class job like my pops."

"I-I-I a-a-ag-g-g-r-ree!" stuttered Yumie, her face becoming redder and redder with each word that she tried to wrangle out. "I-I need t-t-to st-st-stop my o-o-onii-ch-ch-ch-chan be-be-bef-f-fore h-h-he-"

Naotatsu cut her off by patting her on the head like she was a puppy. "It's alright, Yumie," he said kindly. "You don't have to say anything anymore. We get it."

"Eep!" Yumie's face turned into the deepest shade of red possible as she covered it with her sweating palms. If Otonashi didn't know any better, he would've seen steam shooting out of every orifice in the adorable pink-haired girl's head.

"What about you guys?" Kimiko asked, looking towards Iwasawa and the rest of the Girls Dead Monster next. "Itagaki, or whoever you are now?"

"Of course," replied Iwasawa, nodding affirmatively. "If we're gonna get to the bottom of this whole reincarnation mess, we gotta stop the nuking from happening first."

"Agreed," Hisako added confidently. "We're behind Iwasawa every step of the way, and if she says stopping a big nuclear attack is our best course of action, then we'll do it."

"Mm-hm, mm-hm!" Shiori said, nodding vigorously, while Miyuki began to sweat nervously.

"Alright," responded Kimiko. "So I guess we're all in agreement. We go after the cult and stop their plans."

"Yeah!" everyone else shouted with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

"Now then..." Kimiko looked back at Otonashi and Kanade. "Do you have any idea where the cult would be keeping their arsenal? Any idea at all?"

"Well," replied Otonashi, "I imagine it'd be pretty hard to store an atomic bomb, let alone eight or more. It'd have to be in a really big storage area. Like an entire warehouse."

"That would be too risky, though," Iwasawa remarked, her finger raised. "In a place like the Tokyo metropolis, someone's bound to discover those nukes sooner than later. It'd have to be somewhere remote, far away from civilization."

"But those cult freaks always operate in big cities," said Asahara. "The bigger the target-rich area, the better for them. I have never heard of any police crackdowns in rural areas and small towns."

"So it would have to be in a place that wouldn't attract attention," commented Kimiko. "The last place anyone would ever expect. A location so unexpected that the police didn't bother to check it."

"But what could that be?" asked Otonashi in a whisper.

* * *

**The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters  
Chiyoda, Tokyo**

Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei stared out of the helicopter window and watched as the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department headquarters complex come into view. They then stared at the man called Yamashita, the same man wearing the golden cloak and the dead rabbit as a necklace. His hood was currently drawn, revealing a mat of well-combed blond hair, a pair of scarlet eyes, and a chilling smile of satisfaction.

"There it is, men," he said. "The place where we initiate the beginning of an end, for the advent of a new beginning."

"It sure was clever of Hashimoto-sama to hide the nukes underneath the main building of Japan's most significant police department," one of the helicopter pilots remarked.

"Indeed it was. It may have been a risky gamble, but it's a good thing Hashimoto had deep pockets and good friends in the most convenient of places. For _years_, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was sitting on a nuclear arsenal and their incompetent brass had no inkling whatsoever. Now then..." Yamashita stared at the three children and smirked. "Is there anything you wish to say, children?"

"Gmph hmph hmph!" Naomi managed out, her voice still muffled from the duct tape over her lips.

"Oh yeah, that's right, the duct tape." Yamashita cracked his neck, and then reached forward to gently peel the duct tape off Naomi's mouth. "Come again?"

"Go to hell," the teenage girl spat.

"Well, that's not a nice thing to say to your elders. Perhaps your brother will be a whole lot more polite..." The blond man proceeded to peel off the duct tape covering Kaisei's mouth. "Anything to say, kid?"

"You're a big meanie!" the boy snapped defiantly. "My onee-chan will kick your sorry butt!"

"Well, you sure take after your elder sister." Then, Yamashita stared at Tamika and sneered. "But your other sister looks like the type of girl who's quiet and unquestionably obedient. Perhaps she'll be the one who'll give me a warmer display of cooperation." He promptly removed the duct tape from her mouth. "What do you say, little gi- ACK!"

Tamika had immediately spat directly into his eye. "Fuck you!" she screamed.

"AGH! GODDAMN IT!" Growling angrily, Yamashita wiped his eye and stared at all three children vengefully. "You're ALL little devils! No wonder Hashimoto wanted to get back at your sister! Well then, I guess I'll have to fulfill that part of his wish when this operation starts rolling the ball!"

But Tamika wasn't done. "You're crazy! All of you are!"

"Says the girl who does the same thing over and over again every day of the week! Wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, eat lunch, go home, eat dinner, do homework, go to sleep, wake up again! Rinse and repeat!" Then, Yamashita sneered again. "What sets me apart from you is the fact that I, and others like me, know how to control that daily system for our own needs. You, your siblings, and the rest of the pitiful world are our slaves, blinded by your own insanity, and once we carry out this operation, we will have you all under the palm of our HAND!"

"So _you guys_ are part of the upper class?" Naomi asked, her eyes narrowed. "The ones laying down the rules for the rest of us?" She then scoffed. "No wonder the current system sucks ass."

Yamashita smirked. "Keep mocking our power all you want, but once this is all over, you will learn to bow down to us and tremble before the might of our _power_. If you're still alive, that is."

At that moment, the helicopter landed on the helipad on the building's tallest roof. Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei looked out of the window again and saw a small police unit patiently waiting outside, equipped with assault rifles. As the whirring of the helicopter rotors died down, Yamashita slid the door open and got outside with a triumphant expression. The pilots followed suit, dragging the three Nishimura children with them in the process. They tried to scream out for help, but the pilots covered their mouths with duct tape once again.

"Yamashita-sama," one of the officers greeted. "Where's Hashimoto-sama?"

"He's run into some..._complications_," Yamashita replied. "We are to proceed with the next phase without him."

"_Without_ him?" repeated another officer incredulously. "But, sir, Hashimoto-sama is our leader, the one who promised he would lead us all into the next era of peace and prosperity! Are you saying we should bring forth that era without him in our presence?!"

"Unfortunately, yes, that is indeed what I'm saying. But do not despair, men. I'm sure he would've wanted us to proceed regardless. Now then..." Yamashita reached into a previously unseen cavity dug into his rabbit necklace, and procured a set of nine keys. "Take me to the nuclear weapons."

The first officer reluctantly took the keys and replied, "Right this way, sir."

The small team of officers proceeded to lead Yamashita, the Nishimura siblings, and the pilots down a staircase and into the police headquarters itself.

"Tell me," Yamashita said, as soon as the group entered the building and traveled down another set of stairs, "what's the current situation with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department?"

"They're still scrambling," a third officer replied professionally. "They have shown no inkling on the possibility that we are using their own headquarters as the stage for our next phase. Regardless, we will have to sneak you past the employees, make sure your entry isn't seen by anyone without our clearance."

"Can you guys do that?" one of the pilots asked.

"Fortunately, we've cleared a route for us to use. We may encounter some small speed-bumps, but it's nothing that can't be handled."

"It doesn't matter," Yamashita replied, his voice brimming with confidence. "As long as we proceed with the objective and activate the nuclear weapons as scheduled, a few speed-bumps will be nothing compared to the fruits of our labor."

"The fruits of our labor," repeated the other pilot, smiling stupidly. "I like the sound of that..."

"It's not in a literal sense, you idiot..." whispered the first pilot.

The group eventually entered a dark, deserted hallway, and strolled towards the unsettling, suspicious door at the other end of it. Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei were quick to spot a light peering from a small window to their left. As soon as they passed that window, the three children realized, to their shock, there was a squad-room on the other side, full of officers scrambling to deduce the cult's next move.

Naomi immediately stomped on the foot of her captor and broke free from his grip. Then, she tried to rush towards the window, but Yamashita noticed and held her back before she could reach it.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he exclaimed. "I wouldn't do that if I were you! Resist again like that and your precious sister and brother get a bullet or two to the head!"

Naomi started screaming, hoping an officer on the other side of the window would hear her, but unfortunately, her mouth was still taped shut, leaving her voice hopelessly muffled. Yamashita proceeded to drag her away from the window, and she could only watch as the distance between her and the almost heavenly light grew exponentially.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the lobby downstairs, two police officers half-dragged Hozumi Karubo and Tyler Kendall towards one of the wooden front desks, where a middle-aged man with a miserably sunken face was answering a myriad of calls.

"Yo, Hasegawa!" shouted the officer escorting Hozumi.

"Wha...?" the secretary asked with exhaustion as he looked up.

"We're taking these kids in for processing."

"Wha? Y...You're processing them..._here_...?"

"Apparently not as many people are taking the cult seriously as we'd hoped. The other jails on the way here are totally swamped with vagrants and anti-government protesters who tried to disobey the shelter-in-place. This is the only place we know that'll always have an opening."

"Make that two openings," added the officer escorting Tyler.

The stressful toll of the day's events clearly drained the life out of Hasegawa, for he sighed with exasperation, lowered his head, and rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

"Go on..." he replied nonchalantly, gesturing towards one of the elevators noncommittally.

Both officers bowed their heads with respect. "Thank you very much, Hasegawa," they said at the same time.

With that, they half-dragged the teenagers towards the elevator bay.

* * *

**Room 13026** **, Mitaka, Japan**

"Are you sure the cult is hiding out their nukes there, Kimiko?" Naotatsu asked as he readied his stolen pistol. Right now, he and Kimiko were the only ones in the study room, while the rest of the group was elsewhere in the apartment, eating, drinking, and doing other things to prepare themselves for the impending showdown.

"Of course I'm sure," the magenta-haired girl replied, her arms crossed. "If the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's as stupid as we've always assumed, then chances are they missed something at Sadahiro Hashimoto's manor."

"But you were there, as were Takahashi and Itagaki."

"That's exactly the point, Naotatsu-kun." Kimiko sat down on the chair behind the desk. "The nukes have to be in some place that Hashimoto kept hidden from the rest of us. He had a secret tunnel system that we used to escape the cult the first time we met them. There's probably another tunnel system there that leads to the nukes!"

"Well, if you insist, Kimmie...but my gut tells me there's something fishy with that prospect-"

"Tell me, Naotatsu," interrupted Kimiko, "do _you_ have an idea on where the nukes are?"

"...No..."

"Then my point stands. We start with Hashimoto Manor, and if there's nothing there, we'll work our way from there."

"Do you _really_ think we'll find anything there?"

"Sadahiro Hashimoto was the one leading that cult, and he was under our noses this whole time! He was under _my_ nose the whole time! If something like that flew over our heads, who knows what else we missed?! Who knows what we could have found if we probed a little further?!" Kimiko clenched her fists and looked away. "If we probed a little further, then... _Then_..."

Her voice trailed off, but Naotatsu knew what she was going to say. The boy looked down at the carpeted floor with guilt, his mind recalling the images of Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei disappearing into the van, in spite of his efforts to stop them.

Even if his gut told him the group was pursuing a dead end, his brain told him that he desperately needed to make up for his latest failure...

"Naotatsu...?" another voice asked. He and Kimiko turned towards the doorway, where they saw...

"Chouko?" Naotatsu asked. "I-I mean, K-Kanade? I-It _is_ Kanade, right?"

Kanade nodded affirmatively. "Can I speak to you for just a moment? It will not be for long."

The blue-haired teenager blinked with surprise, but he nevertheless replied, "S-Sure thing..." He looked back at Kimiko, who was still looking down at the desk somberly. "I'll be right back, Kimmie. Hang in there, okay?"

"Okay..." Kimiko droned in response.

Naotatsu pursed his lips tightly, but he decided to respect his friend's privacy and thus followed Kanade out of the study. She led him out into a hallway that went towards the master bedroom. There, the blue-haired boy found the light on, as well as Otonashi leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed.

"Wh-What's going on here?" he asked. "Is...Is there something you guys know that the others don't know about?"

"Not exactly," Kanade replied, her back facing him. "It's more like..._you_ knowing something that the others do not know about."

"...I'm not really following..."

"No matter how thin it can be, there is always a line separating dreams from reality," recited Otonashi. "You said that in the study room."

"Yeah, I guess I did. Pretty philosophical, huh? But it's the truth, am I right...?" When the two didn't respond, Naotatsu's brow became furrowed with confusion. "Is...Is there something wrong with that, guys?"

"No, not inherently," Kanade responded. "But hearing those words made me remember something, and it left me a little curious, should I say."

"Curious? Curious about what?"

Otonashi and Kanade looked at each other briefly, before the latter asked, "Does the Realm of Social Anxieties ring a bell for you?"

"The Realm of..." Naotatsu's eyes finally lit up with understanding. "You're talking about _that_..."

"So you know about the discussion forum called 'A Thin Line Separating Dreams from Reality', Naotatsu?"

"I don't just _know_ about that post." The boy hesitated for the briefest moment before admitting, "I _wrote_ that post."

* * *

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have even more developments on the situation! It turns out that Sadahiro Hashimoto managed to hide his arsenal of nuclear weapons in plain sight, all thanks to his wealth and resources. Hozumi and Tyler are standing over the arsenal as of now, while the rest of the SSS/Global Awareness Club is indeed following a dead end! As for Fukuyama and friends, she's getting a little closer to the truth now that she's about to interview Naoi/Fuuta. Meanwhile, Otonashi and Kanade finally discover the identity of the poster who led them to Harumi Tachibana in the first place, who turns out to be Naotatsu, of all people! Whatever will happen to our heroes next?! Stay tuned!
> 
> I actually enjoyed writing this chapter a lot, especially the sequence with Kimiko's nightmare. The way I plan on bringing Yuri back is an ingenious one, in my opinion, and I can't wait to get to that scene once the chips of this fic are all on the table. Other than the undesirably slow pace that I took while writing this chapter (accursed school), I have no problems with what's happening right now. Not at all.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	28. Operation: Start!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 26: OPERATION: START!**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - ** _ **Post-Afterlife Name** _

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Takamatsu - _Takayoshi Asahara_

Yusa - _Rikana Egami_

Ōyama - _Hozumi Karubo_

Takeyama - _Touya Hamada_

Yui - _Yumie Matsushina_

TK - _Tyler Kendall_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

Chazawa - _Chaa_

* * *

_ **RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_FAILED** _

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* * *

**Room 13026** **, Mitaka, Japan**

"Does the Realm of Social Anxieties ring a bell for you?"

"The Realm of..." Naotatsu's eyes finally lit up with understanding. "You're talking about _that_..."

"So you know about the discussion forum called 'A Thin Line Separating Dreams from Reality', Naotatsu?"

"I don't just _know_ about that post." He hesitated for the briefest moment before admitting, "I _wrote_ that post."

It felt as if the world had frozen in place. Otonashi and Kanade stared at Naotatsu with disbelief at the admission.

"_You_ wrote that first post?" Kanade asked incredulously, her golden eyes wide.

Naotatsu nodded and sheepishly replied, "Yeah. To be honest, I didn't think anyone would be interested in that post after so long. I mean, I barely got any responses as it is. Consider me surprised..."

Both Otonashi and Kanade stared at Naotatsu with shock. Of all the people they thought might hold the answers behind this mysterious dilemma, they never expected that responsibility to fall onto Naotatsu's shoulders. He seemed so normal and unassuming, as if he could never willfully involve himself with all this supernatural stuff. Nevertheless, after all this time, they were _finally_ going to get somewhere in their quest to understand what was happening to them and others.

After a tense moment of silence, Otonashi crossed his arms. "Okay. So what led you to write that post in the first place? It couldn't possibly have been out of simple curiosity. Not after what's happened today."

The blue-haired boy sighed and faced the wall. "It's... It's a long story..."

"Try us," Kanade said. "I think we can take another load of information."

"Just don't hold back," added Otonashi in a soft but advisory tone.

Naotatsu looked at the two of them, and they stared back with nothing but acceptance and understanding etched in their expressions. Then, he sighed heavily, placed his hands in his pockets, and sat down on the bed.

"Alright," he said softly. "This is how it happened..."

He was about to continue when Iwasawa appeared at the doorway, attracting the attention of the trio.

"O-Oh!" she said with surprise. "D-Did I interrupt anything?"

Otonashi and Kanade looked at each other, unsure of what to say. But then, Naotatsu abruptly stood up from his bed and made the decision for them.

"No, you didn't. What's up?"

Iwasawa looked at the blue-haired boy for a moment before replying, "Everyone's ready to go. Yuri... Nishimura, I mean, wants all of us in the study."

"The study...?" Otonashi repeated.

"Yeah." Then, Iwasawa smiled slightly. "I guess the SSS is back in full swing, huh?"

"The...SSS...?" Naotatsu repeated, one of his eyebrows arched.

"The Shinda Sekai Sensen," explained Otonashi. "It's... It's what we called ourselves in the Afterlife."

"Huh... What a name... What the hell were we doing in the Afterlife?"

"Fighting God," Iwasawa replied coolly.

"F-F-Fighting _God_?!"

"Don't worry," Kanade said, her voice flat and stoic. "It didn't go anywhere in the end."

"I-I see..."

"Okay, come on, you guys," Iwasawa said. The aspiring musician turned around and left the doorway. "We don't want to keep Nishimura waiting."

Neither Otonashi or Kanade said anything as Naotatsu followed Iwasawa out of the room. The two looked at each other with defeat. They were hoping they could get some answers, but it seemed like Naotatsu wasn't willing to share.

Nevertheless, they knew they had more important matters to take care of. So, they followed the blue-haired boy out and joined him in the unknown.

* * *

"Alright everyone, listen up! Here's the plan."

The teenagers were congregated in the study room. Otonashi, Kanade, Naotatsu, Yumie, Fujimaki, and Iwasawa were all standing around the front desk, with Yumie cowering behind Naotatsu. Mutsuto, Asahara, Chazawa, and Royama were all sitting on the couch to the left; while Hiroto, Hisako, Miyuki, and Shiori were sitting on the couch to the right. The ever-so-silent C was leaning against a corner on the far end of the room, while Noda was coolly leaning on the doorway with his machete. Meanwhile, Natsumi was playing with her cat Yuri with some thread she found in a sewing kit, even though the cat was completely uninterested in her efforts.

And as for Kimiko, she was sitting on the comfortable, leather swiveling chair behind the desk, leaning back a little with her legs resting on the table. All of the lights in the office had been switched off, but the moonlight was shining brightly through the large, looming windows, painting the whole room in a pale-blue light. Otonashi couldn't help but stare at the sight nostalgically.

_"I wonder if she's doing that on her own accord or by Yuri's instinct..."_ he thought.

"Because we have no other leads on the cult," Kimiko explained, "we'll be starting our search at what remains of the old Hashimoto mansion. I still have the address, and it won't be that hard to miss. Once we get there, we look for clues. I've got the layout of the place memorized, so if anyone has questions on where to look, come ask me."

"And what happens if we don't find anything useful?" Mutsuto asked.

"Sadahiro Hashimoto had a secret escape tunnel underneath the mansion. Given he's been keeping his role in the cult a secret for all this time, there's no way there aren't anymore secrets in that mansion. I'm confident we'll find something."

"And if we don't?" Noda asked.

Kimiko closed her eyes and calmly replied, "Then we try to go to Hashimoto Communications."

"Hashimoto Communications?" Iwasawa asked. "Isn't that place supposed to be crawling with cops by now?"

"Yes, that's true. We'll figure out the best angle of entry if we get to that point. But for now..." She opened her sea-green eyes, which were shining with determination. "This is our operation. We head over to Hashimoto Manor for clues, and we leave no stone unturned."

"But if that manor's trashed too," Noda said with a scowl, "then shouldn't that place be crawling with cops too?"

"I doubt it. It's been a while since the attack. That whole crime scene should've been fully processed by now. I can't see why any officers would have to remain." But Kimiko's lips curved into a clever smile. "But, even so, that is why we must use covert infiltration tactics to access the location."

_"Covert infiltration tactics?"_ Otonashi repeated in his mind. _"Access the location?" _Then, he smiled and chuckled. _"Even if Yuri's not in control, that Kimiko girl sure is a lot like her..."_

"Infiltration tactics?" Hiroto asked, confused. "Wh-What infiltration tactics?"

Kimiko's smile became even more pronounced. "We use the secret tunnel system to enter the manor. Once we're inside, we split up into smaller groups so we can cover more ground. We must move stealthily every step of the way the entire time. And we must leave no trace behind. Think of this like a spy movie."

For the briefest moment, everyone else had the same thought: them reenacting an intricate action sequence from a spy movie, all the way down to them hanging on ropes from the high ceiling. It didn't look appealing to them one bit.

"Noda and Asahara, you guys are with me," Kimiko continued, pointing at each member of the group in turn. "Otonashi, Kanade, Naotatsu, Yumie, you guys are together. Iwasawa, Hiroto, Fujimaki, you're a group as well. Hisako, you're gonna lead Miyuki and Shiori."

"What about me?" Natsumi suddenly asked, looking up from Yuri and at Kimiko with eagerness. "What do I get to do?"

"You?" Kimiko narrowed her eyes. "You're staying in the car."

"WHAT?!" The young girl puffed out her cheeks. "No fair!"

"You're too young to take part in this. I can't have another innocent child get caught up in this."

"I'm not a child!" Natsumi wailed desperately. "I'm a big girl!"

"W-Wait a minute," Chazawa said, concerned. "Who's gonna be watching her? Won't she be all alone in the car?"

"Yes, she would be," replied Kimiko. "That's why I'm assigning you to watch her, Chazawa."

"WHAT?!"

"We also need someone to be our getaway driver just in case things go south. It might as well be you."

Chazawa stared at the magenta-haired girl for a moment before grumbling, "Fine..."

As for Natsumi, she crossed her arms and harrumphed angrily.

"Spy movies always have goons and thugs at an important location," C pointed out, her monotone voice echoing across the study. "What if we find goons at that mansion? Then what?"

"If we already find people there," Kimiko replied, "we use a diversion. And I know _exactly_ what that diversion is."

"And that is...?" Fujimaki asked.

"Fujikawa, C!"

Mutsuto and C's heads perked up at the sound of their names. "Yes?" the former asked.

"You're skilled at chatting people up. Find some excuse to get their attention for long enough. When we're done, I'll give you the signal."

"And what'll the signal be?"

"You'll know when you see it."

"And if we come under attack?" C asked calmly.

"Then we fight back, obviously. We have enough weapons and ammunition to defend ourselves. And besides, it'll give us an easier chance to find my siblings, so I'd happily welcome that scenario."

"I wouldn't!" Royama exclaimed. "There's no way I'm getting shot at!"

"Dude," Hiroto responded disbelievingly, "you _just_ agreed to sign up for this shit. You wanna turn back _again_?"

"_No_! I was just hoping we'd go down the path of least resistance!"

"We're gonna be shutting down their _nuclear bombs_," Asahara groaned, shaking his head. "No matter what, we're gonna encounter resistance from left and right."

Royama glared at Asahara. "H-Hey! The keywords are '_least_ resistance', not '_no_ resistance'!"

Asahara readjusted his glasses. "Well, the way you're talking now makes it sound like you want no resistance at all..."

Royama gritted his teeth. "W-Well, if the path of least resistance has no resistance at all, I'm up for it! I may wanna help you guys and all, but I still don't wanna die!"

Asahara glared back at him. "You better harden your damn spirit, man! We're going up against the cult, so this is going to get rough, whether you like it or not! You'd better be up for it, otherwise you're a liability!"

"I'm NOT a liability! I'm-I'm useful when I can be! And you've got a lotta nerve talking like that! You act like a seasoned and cool badass, b-but you haven't done SHIT!"

"STOP **FIGHTING**, YOU TWO!" an outraged Otonashi hollered at the top of his lungs, silencing the other two teenagers. "The more we waste time, the closer the cult is to accomplishing their plans! So just _listen_ to Yuri- K-Kimiko and do what she says, alright?! We'll worry about the finer details once we get to the manor!"

Neither boy continued the argument, but they shot hateful looks at each other and then turned their heads away, issuing stubborn, irritated huffs. Kimiko sighed exasperatedly and clasped her hands together.

"Thank you, Otonashi," she said. "Royama?"

"Y-Yeah?" the redhead asked apprehensively.

"I know you don't want to die, so I have partnered you with Mutsuto and C. Their roles in this group are only optional, so you might not even have to run into trouble. Plus their street smarts, quick thinking, and silver tongues will be enough to provide protection. And C should be able to defend you with her...ninja skills."

C grimaced at the thought of defending the boy who had an unwanted crush on her, but otherwise, she didn't protest. As for Royama, he looked conflicted, but also seemed to accept his place in the group.

Kimiko nodded with approval. "Alright. That should be it. Does anyone object?" Noda suddenly raised his hand, and she rolled her eyes. "What is it, Noda?"

"What's the name of this operation?"

...

"_Name_...?" Kimiko repeated.

"Yeah. You always name our operations. So, what's the name for this one?"

"Noda!" Otonashi barked sternly. "You're not talking to Yuri right now! She's-"

"Operation: Groundhog Day," Kimiko suddenly said. Everyone looked at her, puzzled.

"What?" asked Hiroto.

"Operation: Groundhog Day. That's what we'll call it."

"_Groundhog Day_...?" Hisako repeated.

"We're entering the manor through the secret underground tunnel system, like groundhogs. So we'll be calling this whole operation Groundhog Day." Kimiko closed her eyes again. "Now, does anyone have a problem with that?"

...

...

...

"Nah, not really," Noda replied, grinning gleefully.

"As usual, Yuri always comes up with the strangest names," Iwasawa remarked with a smile of her own. "Even if she's in a different body and a different life."

"I'm _not_ this Yuri person," interrupted Kimiko, her voice low but harsh. "I may remind you of your friend, but I'm _not_ her, nor will I ever be her. I don't want any comparisons between the two of us from any of you for the rest of the day. D'you understand?"

The SSS members looked amongst each other before nodding at their reincarnated leader with agreement. Kimiko's lips were pursed, but she nevertheless smiled and opened her eyes.

"Good. Now then..." She shot up from the chair. "Operation, START!"

* * *

**An abandoned shed  
On Hashimoto-owned property  
** **A couple of hours later**

"There it is," Kimiko announced. "The Hashimoto estate."

Everyone stepped out of the rickety van and stared at, from a distance, what remained of Chouko's old home. What was once a majestic, gigantic mansion of a traditional Japanese design had now been reduced to a pile of rubble, with some wooden beams and walls, components of the building's skeleton, still standing. The cobblestone walkways had been left darkened by the long-gone ash, the small sunflower shrubs had all withered away into lifeless husks, the grass was now dry and grayish-brown, and the fountain was no longer activated, with the water inside dark and dirty.

"Wow," Noda commented. "What a shit-hole."

"It once looked better," Kanade replied, her eyes somber. "It must've been like a paradise... But Chouko's father chose to destroy it all for the sake of advancing his selfish ambitions..."

"Uh-huh..." Noda turned towards Kimiko. "Yo, Yur- I mean, _Nishimura_...where was that secret tunnel system you've been talking about?"

Kimiko pointed towards the shed that stood nearby. "Over there," she said. "There was a secret trapdoor in there. When the cult attacked the mansion, we came out of that. Follow me."

She led the rest of the group, sans Chazawa and Natsumi, towards the abandoned shed. Approaching the front door, she took out her gun as a precaution, while many of the others followed suit as quietly as they could. Then, she slowly took the doorknob, turned it, and swung the door open.

The group flooded into the shed, half-expecting to see a couple of cultists inside, but found the room empty.

"Guess no one's here," Naotatsu whispered as he holstered his weapon.

"Yeah, no shit," Noda replied with disappointment.

"Don't let your guard down," warned Kimiko. "They may not be here, but they could be at the mansion. We must remain on high alert."

"So where'd you guys come out from, to be exact?" asked Hiroto.

"I think we came out of a trapdoor somewhere here..." The magenta-haired girl glided her foot across the floor, brushing aside the thin layer of hay that coated it. Eventually, her toes lightly bumped against a small protrusion. "Aha! Bingo!"

She bent down, took the protrusion, and lifted it, filling the shed with an ominous creak. The hay fell away to reveal the wooden trapdoor, coated on the inside with even more cobwebs than ever before. Once the passageway was fully open, the group stared into the gaping hole of darkness. There was a soft wind blowing out from within, its exhale echoing like a ghostly breath.

"_Oooookkkkkaaaaayyyyy_..." Royama said. "Who wants to go into the dark, creepy tunnel first?"

There was an awkward silence at first. Then, everyone turned sideways towards him.

* * *

**Remnants of Hashimoto Manor  
Several minutes later**

What remained of the Hashimoto fireplace opened up with a strained mechanical grind, and the first one to step out was Royama, who was spitting away strands of cobweb that was hanging from his hair. The others followed him out, similarly covered with dust, soot, and cobwebs.

"Goddamn it," Royama grumbled as he dusted his sleeves. "This had better be worth it..."

"Stop complaining and stick with Mutsuto and C, Royama," ordered Kimiko as she wiped a smudge of mud off the slide of her gun. Then, she turned around and faced the rest of the group with a determined look. "Alright, everyone. Remember your groups and stick close. We must cover every inch of this place for clues."

"And what if we find something?" asked Hiroto.

"Give me a shout. Now, come on. We mustn't waste any time."

The group instantly broke off into their assigned subgroups and went on their own ways. A hesitant Otonashi watched all of them go before realizing he had been left alone.

"Aw, crap..." he whispered to himself.

The redhead began trudging through the wreckage in search of Kanade, Naotatsu, and Yumie. He didn't get far when he came across an upturned bed that looked it was a king-size. Something in his mind clicked in place, and Otonashi slowly but instinctively approached it. Even if the bed was covered in soot and partially charred, it still held an air of majesty...

_ **"AH, YES! AH, ** _ **YES** _ **! NOW ** _ **THAT'S** _ ** WHAT I'M TALKING 'BOUT! ...Yes, yes, ** _ **yes** _ **... I'm so ** _ **happy** _ **..."** _

Takahashi's words echoed in Otonashi's brain again. He pursed his lips and rubbed his temple with his index finger. Then, he blinked...

And found himself lying on that same bed, in a fully intact room fit for the greatest of kings...

Suddenly, he heard someone clear his throat, disturbing his happiness. Sitting up, flustered and surprised, Otonashi spotted...

_"_Naoi_...?"_ he thought.

Naoi's golden eyes had an intimidating glint to them, as if these very eyes were about to pierce into the very soul. They almost reminded Otonashi of Kanade's eyes...

Without warning, he shivered at the thought.

"I'm here for cleaning," Naoi piped, "so if you don't mind..."

"Not at all," replied Otonashi, standing up from the bed. At that moment, he realized his words and actions weren't his own... They were someone else's... They were-

"Yes?" Naoi asked. Otonashi realized that his act of observing him wasn't so subtle.

"Nothing," the redhead replied. "It's just...do you work here?"

Naoi sighed and shrugged dismissively. "Technically, I guess. My mom's worked in this mansion even before I was born. She actually gave birth to me in this very mansion. Since she's a maid, I guess that immediately meant I had to be a..._maid_ as well... Even if I don't technically have any licensing or prior experience. But I'm good at what I do; I've been doing this for my entire life. There's no need to worry if I mess up on anything."

"Okay. That's good to hear." Otonashi flashed a small but friendly smile. "So, what's your name, man?"

"Ukiyo," replied Naoi as he continued dusting without directly looking at Otonashi. "Fuuta Ukiyo."

"Nice to meet you, Fuuta. I'm-"

"The guy who was prancing around the front yard and bugging the gardener like an idiot?" Naoi scoffed as Otonashi sweat-dropped. "Yeah, I know."

Otonashi continued, much more bitterly this time, "The name's Arata Takahashi. Nice to meet you too."

"I've heard you and those two girls will be staying with us for a week. Some program that bastard Sadahiro Hashimoto started." He scoffed again as he moved on to a drawer; his sweeps suddenly became more aggressive. "Well, isn't _that_ nice of him to reach out to ordinary guys and gals like you."

"For your information, it _is_ nice of him to do that, treating me and my friends to his awesome home." Otonashi's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And I really don't like that tone in your voice. Sadahiro Hashimoto is one of the greatest and most influential people in Japan, in the whole world even, and he does not squander all of that for selfish and egotistical reasons. If he were that way, then I wouldn't have been invited over to this damn awesome place by him!"

Once again, Naoi scoffed. "I see."

"What in the world is with some people?! First Kimiko, and now you! You guys think Hashimoto-san is some bastard! Where's the proof in that?"

Naoi finished sweeping and gazed at Otonashi with glinting eyes and a nasty smile on his face. The redheaded boy growled angrily at the expression.

"Oh, if only you knew." The green-haired boy then started walking and passed Otonashi, whispering as he did so, "Good luck."

Otonashi looked behind him, just in time to see Naoi briskly walk out of the doorway and round the corner, out of sight. The redhead sighed with anger.

"Man, you're so difficult... All of you guys..."

_"Takahashi..."_ Otonashi thought sympathetically, as his doppelganger's emotions and beliefs started to fill his heart and take a hold of it. _"You desperately wanted to live a life of luxury and riches...so much that you didn't know what kind of evil was lurking beneath that luxury..."_

** _"Even after nearly dying, you're prioritizing, what, a mansion and a luxurious lifestyle? You're not even concerned about what just happened? You're not concerned about the fact that you could've been murdered by a crazed, devil-worshiping lunatic, probably one of the worst ways to die?"_ **

** _"I've known you for a while, Takahashi, long enough to know what's up with you! For the longest time, you've always been complaining about your house and your job and your living. You've always been talking about how desperately you wanted to get rich and get away from your current lifestyle. Back then, I believed it when you said you hated your current life. I mean, I've seen how much of a bad luck magnet you were. ..._ ** ** _But now that we're here and you're moaning about the loss of the mansion, it makes me worry about your priorities."_ **

** _"_ ** ** _My life's been a crap-fest, and I would definitely like to go from rags to riches. It's my only way of living a fulfilling life."_ **

Otonashi opened his eyes and found himself back in the wreckage of the mansion, standing in front of the remains of the king-sized bed. For some reason, he could feel his heart yearning for it, slightly and insignificantly so...

_"If only I knew what made your life a crap-fest to begin with..."_ the redhead thought.

"Otonashi?" a familiar voice piped up. He turned around and saw Kanade and Naotatsu standing underneath an arch that was once a doorway. Yumie was cowering behind Naotatsu, as usual.

"Kanade," the boy replied fondly.

* * *

"So what were you doing over there?" Naotatsu asked as the quartet searched through the master bedroom.

"I don't know," Otonashi replied as he moved some charred wooden boards aside. "I think... I think I tapped into one of Takahashi's memories back there..."

"One of Takahashi's memories?" asked Kanade, intrigued. She was using one of her Hand Sonic blades to tear open one of the walls that were still standing. "What was it about, Otonashi?"

"How much he loved this place."

Naotatsu chuckled as he searched a large drawer. "Heh. Can't say I'm surprised. He always wanted to become filthy rich and have a place like this to call his own. He wouldn't stop yapping on about it, ever since he joined the club..." Then, his expression became downcast and he stopped searching. "Still though...I wonder what his reaction will be when he learns that Hashimoto was planning on nuking the country. I bet he'd be pretty devastated.

"And...that's _if_ we find out how to separate your identities. Remember, you guys are two people sharing one body. That sort of thing... It's unprecedented in the history of...perhaps the Universe..."

Otonashi looked at his friend. "We'll find a way, Naotatsu. We'll find a way."

"Yeah..." Naotatsu's eyes narrowed slightly. "Hey, you guys said I'm your friend reincarnated...?"

"That's correct," Kanade replied.

"Tell me...what was his name...?"

Otonashi and Kanade looked at one another for a moment. Then, the former replied, "Hinata. Hinata Hideki."

"Hinata Hideki..."

"A-An-An-And w-wh-what a-ab-about m-m-me?" Yumie stuttered quietly.

"Your name was once Yui," replied Kanade.

The shy girl's mouth was slightly agape with wonder. "_Yui_..."

"Why are you asking, Naotatsu?" Otonashi asked.

The blue-haired boy was silent for a moment, merely staring emptily into the drawer. Finally, he turned around with an ambiguous look on his face, and his hands were tucked in his pockets.

"You...You wanted to know why I wrote that forum post in the first place," he replied, "but when Iwasawa stepped in, I said she wasn't interrupting anything and forced us into that meeting with Kimmie. Well, the truth is...I didn't feel ready to share back then. But after thinking it over, I...I think I'm now ready..."

"If you're not ready, Naotatsu," said Otonashi, "then I'm perfectly fine with giving you more time-"

"No. I'm ready. I want to tell you everything. If I don't do this now, there won't be another opportunity."

Otonashi and Kanade looked at each other, while Yumie stared at Naotatsu with confusion and intrigue. The blue-haired boy took a couple of deep breaths...and then began his story with an unrestrained voice.

"I had a younger sister. She...She meant the whole world to me."

* * *

**Nishitōkyō** **, Japan  
Seven years ago**

"ONII-CHAN! Let's go get ice cream!"

Naotatsu let out a sigh of irritation and leaned back on his chair. His pencil fell out of his grasp and rolled in a semicircle around his single sheet of notepaper.

"Not now, Aki-chan," he replied with exhaustion. "I've got a lot of homework..."

The five-year-old girl with blue hair and eyes ran up to her brother and grabbed his arm. He looked sideways at her, and saw that she was using the same expression she always used to sway others to do her will. It was strangely hypnotic and irresistible, what with the shimmering, wide eyes and the slightly puckered lips. One would easily imagine a wagging tail behind her.

"Pretty please, Onii-chan...?" the girl asked, making sure she elongated every word just right. "Pretty _please_...?"

Naotatsu sighed again and trained his sights back on the paper in front of him. It was getting hard for him to resist.

"Why don't you go ask Yuuji-chan...?" he moaned in response.

"But you know Yuuji-niichan is too little! Mommy and Daddy will be angry if he took me alone. A-And I want you to take me!" Then, Aki hugged his arm and snuggled her head against his shoulder like a puppy. "You're the bestest onii-chan in the whole wide world! You always get me ice cream, and I want you to get me ice cream again!"

"You know that's gonna hurt Yuuji-chan's feelings..."

"Then we'll get him ice cream too!"

Naotatsu looked at Aki, and she stared back with her wide blue eyes as they sparkled and literally gushed with unrivaled innocence. There was no way he would be able to combat that look unless he gave her what she wanted...

At that moment, he heard his stomach grumble, and he released a disbelieving moan.

"Fine," he said with defeat. "Go put your shoes on. I'll be right there."

Aki abruptly let go of his arm and hopped up and down with excitement. "YAY! I'm getting ice cream!"

With that, the girl skipped away, her flower-patterned dress fluttering and the necklace of her favorite cartoon character jingling as she went. Naotatsu watched her go, and once she was gone, he smiled.

_ **"I couldn't imagine life without her bubbly cheerfulness."** _

* * *

"YUMMY!"

Aki took another bite of her chocolate ice cream and chewed on the frozen food with a big smile. Naotatsu watched her fondly while taking a lick of his vanilla ice cream. He noticed how smudges of the chocolate ice cream clung to the edges of her lips and the tiny bump of her chin, making it look like she was eating mud. Upon making that comparison, the boy looked away and tried to suppress a giggle, but failed miserably in doing so.

Aki shot him a glare with her chocolate-coated lips. "What's so funny, Onii-chan?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied, smirking. "You know Mommy's gonna yell at you for eating like that."

"But I love eating ice cream!"

"I know you do, but you don't eat it that way. You lick it like this." The blue-haired boy took a slow, careful lick of his ice cream, enjoying the cold taste of vanilla that graced his taste-buds. "It tastes even _better_ if you do it like that."

"Hmph!" Aki puffed out her cheeks with displeasure. "That's so _boring_, Onii-chan! I'm gonna chew it!"

And with that, the girl began chewing her ice cream frantically and violently, as if it was the last scrap of food left on the planet. Naotatsu sighed and shook his head with amusement.

"You know you're going to finish your ice cream quickly if you eat it that way."

"Then you'll buy me more! Right, Onii-chan?"

"I can't do that, Aki-chan-"

She gave him that adorable pleading look again. "_Pleeeeeaaaaassssse_?"

"Agh, fine..." But Naotatsu was smiling as he groped around his pocket, making sure he had enough yen. "But you have to repay me somehow, Aki-chan. This is the last of my allowance. I'm not going to forget this."

"I know you won't, Onii-chan."

The two spent a couple of minutes in relative silence under the cool shade of their favorite tree. All around them was the epitome of peace and tranquility: children and small families playing in the grassy knolls of the park, kites in the air, and laughter and bustling activity in the sandy playground.

Aki took another bite and said with her mouth full, "I want chocolate again, 'kay?!"

"Why don't you get vanilla this time?" Naotatsu took an almost apprehensive lick of his own ice cream. "Vanilla's great, and Mommy says it has less sugar and calories and-"

"Vanilla's so BORING, Onii-chan!" The girl held on to her ice cream protectively, as if an adult was threatening to take it away from her. "Chocolate is the bestest flavor in the whole, whole world!"

Naotatsu sighed. "Alright. Chocolate it is, then."

"YAAAAAY! HOORAY FOR CHOCOLATE!"

The boy chuckled with amusement. "Hooray for chocolate..."

_ **"And then, one day, all of that took a turn for the worst... It all happened under my watch..."** _

* * *

Naotatsu and Aki were on their way home from the park with new ice cream cones when they stopped at the corner of a busy four-way intersection. They looked both ways and warily observed the passing vehicles, waiting for an opportunity to safely cross the street safely. Aki squeezed her brother's hand every time a car whizzed by right next to them.

Then, as Naotatsu waited for a large semi-truck to pass by, he noticed the storefront window of the electronics shop that was right behind him and Aki. It was boasting the newest ultra-HD television set available, and plastered proudly on the screen was the close-up image of a white butterfly.

Intrigued, the blue-haired boy took a couple of steps closer to the storefront window, barely feeling his sister's hand slip out of the safety of his grip. Right now, the TV screen followed the butterfly's graceful movements through the air, until it finally landed smoothly on the twig of a cherry tree as it was in the peak of its blossoming. The butterfly's wings fluttered slowly and smoothly like a veil, hypnotic in its elegance, and Naotatsu could've sworn it was like the insect was _waving_ at him...

"Onii-chan!" a voice squeaked suddenly.

Naotatsu looked over his shoulder and saw Aki still standing at the corner of the intersection, chocolate still coating the corners of her mouth. Annoyance was etched into her stare, and the boy mentally grimaced at the sight.

"Come on, let's go home-"

Her voice was drowned out by the loud blaring of a horn. They and several other pedestrians turned towards the source of the noise: a red SUV side-winding down the street, mounting the curb more than once. It struck a group of trashcans, sending articles of trash everywhere. Several people were screaming and jumping out of the way of the incoming vehicle.

Naotatsu and Aki looked at each other. The boy held out his hand, but something rooted him to the concrete, preventing him from moving. Aki, however, was completely transfixed. For some reason, Naotatsu felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach with a complete lack of surprise.

In a split-second, the SUV mounted the curb and passed by Naotatsu, nearly knocking him over with the accompanying blast of wind alone. The roar of the engine nearly deafened him.

Once it was gone, he only saw a half-finished chocolate ice cream cone on the place where Aki was standing.

But Naotatsu didn't react. He just stood there on the same spot, petrified, even as the people around him started yelling and screaming in terror. The butterfly's wings were still softly flapping on the TV screen behind him.

_ **"I learned later on that the driver was drunk beyond belief. Unfortunately, my family could not get any sort of justice for Aki because the bastard also wasn't wearing his seatbelt."** _

* * *

**Remnants of Hashimoto Manor** **  
Present day**

"That's...That's horrible..." Otonashi whispered softly.

"Your sister..." Kanade remarked, equally stunned. "And at such a young age too... I'm...I'm so sorry, Naotatsu-kun..."

As for Yumie, she was staring at Naotatsu with horror...and something else...

"It's alright," replied Naotatsu. To their surprise, a small smile was gracing his face. "I moved on from that ever since I met Kimiko and joined the Global Awareness Club." He paused briefly and then chuckled hollowly. "For the most part, at least. Every day I help bring public awareness to wrongdoings and the most inhumane of acts, I feel like I'm making up for that failure, bit by bit..."

The blue-haired teenager released a long, heavy sigh, his smile still in place. After a minute passed, Otonashi, feeling he gave his friend enough time to relish in his happiness, chose to speak again.

"So...what happened after that...?"

"For weeks I had nightmares about her death," Naotatsu replied. "Naturally, I blamed myself because all it took for me to lose my sister was to take a couple of steps away and watch a new TV set. My parents and brother didn't blame me, and they told me this many times. And yet, I still felt like they did, deep down inside. I was haunted for the longest time, and my mind couldn't get rid of that SUV and that ice cream cone lying on the sidewalk..."

"But one day it did?" asked Kanade.

Naotatsu nodded. "Yeah. I was thirteen when I had my first dream that wasn't a nightmare in a very long time. For some reason, I was in a baseball field, and there was this girl standing in front of me. I couldn't really make anything out from her, only that she was wearing a baseball helmet and bat. And I was telling her what kind of life we would live together, but I knew that wasn't my voice. It was someone else's, speaking to her, appealing to her...even if it was clear it was all just a fabrication..."

_"No way..."_ Otonashi thought, astounded.

"And then, I blinked and the girl was gone. The helmet and bat were lying at my feet. And when I woke up, I wasn't sure what that meant. I told my therapist all about it, and she believed the dream was my mind reaching a threshold of sorts, one in which I motivate myself to move on from Aki-chan's death. But...I knew it was more than that. Especially after I had that same dream a second time, and then a third time, and then for three whole years.

"Even after I moved on, that dream persisted in my sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I'd be back in that baseball field. Eventually, I memorized every last line spoken, every last detail of my surroundings, even what I could make out of that girl. I tried to do my research based on what I deduced, but nothing substantial came up. I always hit a dead end. And I couldn't even find that girl. The one in my dreams. It was like she was always out of my reach...like Aki on that day..."

"And that was why you wrote that post," Kanade concluded.

"Yes, that's right. I was desperate for answers. So I surfed around the Internet and found what I thought to be the most appropriate forum to address my concerns. But no one replied, even after a couple of weeks, and I turned my back on it. I guess no one took me seriously-"

"You're wrong," interrupted Otonashi, his voice low but determined.

Naotatsu turned towards the redhead. "Wh-What?"

"Naotatsu...what you just said...that's not a dream..."

Surprisingly, Naotatsu wasn't shocked. "I figured... But do you know what it is, then?"

"That's...That's a memory!"

Now Naotatsu was shocked. "A memory? Whose?"

"Hinata's!"

"Hinata's..._memory_...?"

"And the girl you're talking about!" Otonashi pointed at Yumie. "It's her! Yumie! Only she was Yui back then!"

Naotatsu and Yui stared at each other with tremendous shock. The boy opened his mouth, but no words came out. After a while, he closed his lips and looked down at the ground with complete disbelief. At first, Otonashi and Kanade thought he was going to break down emotionally, but then, he lifted his head and revealed a wide smile.

"You..." he breathed out, taking a couple of steps towards the astounded Yumie. "_You_ were in my dreams...?"

"And...you were in..._mine_...?"

Now it was Otonashi and Kanade's turns to be shocked. Yumie had finally spoke without a stutter at all, not to mention she made another stunning revelation.

"_You_ had the same dream?!" exclaimed Otonashi.

"For...For my whole life..." Yumie replied, still staring at Naotatsu. "I...I didn't know...who the boy...was...but now...I...I know..." Her pink eyes glittered with awe, and her lips curved into her own smile. "For once in my life, I now _know_...who truly cared for me..."

"I can't believe I now got to meet you..." Naotatsu said breathlessly. "And to think, you were by my side this whole time! I...I don't even know what to say... I- MMPH!"

Otonashi and Kanade's jaws dropped wide open at the sight. Yumie was _kissing_ Naotatsu straight on the lips. Her passion was completely unrestrained, bursting even. All traces of shyness were completely gone, eradicated like a disease. It was almost beautiful.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, the two teenagers broke apart and stared into each other's eyes fondly.

"Hinata..." Yui whispered lovingly.

Hinata smiled back in return and caressed her cheeks. "Yui..."

Their voices became one.

"We're together again..."

* * *

_ **RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_FAILED** _

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, that's right! Hinata and Yui are back! HOORAY! :D Now, how exactly will this shape our heroes' paths going forward? Find out in the next chapter!
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	29. Union and Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 27: UNION AND REUNION**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - ** _ **Post-Afterlife Name** _

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Takamatsu - _Takayoshi Asahara_

Yusa - _Rikana Egami_

Ōyama - _Hozumi Karubo_

Takeyama - _Touya Hamada_

TK - _Tyler Kendall_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

Chaa - _Chazawa_

* * *

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

* * *

**Unknown location**

Yumie Matsushina opened her eyes and looked around. She was back in the baseball field, and it was sunset again. The entire scenery was painted with a hue of golden-orange. Her skin was plastered with sweat and grime. She was panting, as if she had just recently completed a home run. The helmet and baseball bat weighed heavily on her head and hands, respectively.

And most of all, in spite of her current state, she was happy.

"Me getting a home run is like a joke!" she proclaimed out of instinct, to no one in particular, as the sunlight seared into her eyes. "I'm happy even if I didn't make a home run since I got to move around so much. The way we practiced, it was just so much _fun_! I had a blast playing baseball!" Then, her voice softened. "Remember, I couldn't move my body at all. So this was a bunch of fun!"

For the longest time, Yumie didn't know why those very words should matter to her at all. After all, none of what she was saying applied to any part of her life whatsoever. Nevertheless, saying those words seemed like a natural act to her, like these facts were an integral part of her being. Thus, she just let everything proceed as it should. After all, there was no stopping this dream. If she couldn't interrupt its flow after all those years, there was absolutely no point in trying now.

A vaguely familiar voice then asked, "So did...everything come true, then?"

Yumie's body turned around. "Did what...come true...?" she replied.

"Well, doing what you wanted. When you were paralyzed."

In her mind, Yumie sighed somberly and sympathetically. Initially, she was confused as to why she was dreaming about being a girl who was once paralyzed but was now walking again for some reason. But after dreaming this dream enough times, she overcame that confusion and had come to pity whoever she was dreaming about, even if this was something she shouldn't be dreaming about.

"There's one thing left," she replied automatically.

"What's that?" the voice asked.

"Marriage."

"Huh?"

Yumie smiled fondly. "It's the ultimate happiness for a girl. But I couldn't do chores _or_ laundry. I couldn't do anything on my own. I was just some annoying baggage in the way. Who would want to marry me...?" Then, that fondness subsided and was replaced with loathing. "God is _so_ cruel. He stole all my happiness away! He's such a mean God. He's such a big _meanie_..."

The second voice, in that moment, now reminded her of her older brother Ginga, whenever he would try to convince her to change her mind about something that she had already made up her mind on.

"That's not true, Yui..."

"So then what?" Then, Yumie quickly got an idea. "Maybe _you_ would marry me!"

She could tell the other speaker didn't think of her that way. "...Well, I..."

"Well, _I'll_ marry you!" another voice shouted boldly.

Yumie felt her heart flutter. It was him. He was standing closer to the benches, near the entrance to the ballpark. Even if she couldn't make out any of his physical features, she could tell he was wearing a face of absolute determination.

Then, the boy walked up to her, each step powerful and evocative of his conviction.

"I'll marry you!" the boy declared. "I'm serious! I mean it, Yui!"

Yumie was befuddled. "Uh...you _wouldn't_..." she replied. "I mean, you don't...know the _real_ me, do you...?"

"No matter what you were like or what you've done in your previous life, I'd still marry you today! No matter what type of terrible physical handicap you had!"

"You know, I couldn't walk!" Yumie protested. "I couldn't stand!"

"_I said no matter the handicap_!"

She gasped, but he continued.

"Even if you couldn't stand and walk, even if you couldn't have kids! Even so...I'd still marry you. I WOULD!"

Yumie stared at this boy as he proceeded to pour his heart out. And as he did, her lips slowly but surely crawled upward into a joyful smile, one of complete fulfillment. Tears started to form from her eyes.

"I want to be with you forever and ever! The Yui _I_ met here wasn't a fake. You're _Yui_. No matter where we met, I would have fallen in love with you, even though it's one in six billion chance we'd meet, even if you were already paralyzed when we'd met. I'd marry you, and I'd make you the happiest woman alive...if only you'd say yes to me."

Yumie was still smiling, but she replied, "You'd never meet me... I was...bedridden at home, you know..."

"I'd be...I'd be playing my baseball," the boy said quickly. "One day I'd send a baseball flying right through your window. When I'd go to retrieve it, you'd be there. _That's_ how we'd meet."

At that point, Yumie had tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Even if she had never been paralyzed in her life, she was still touched by this boy's kindness and generosity and all of the love that he poured out to her. And so, she allowed him to continue, all the while taking in every word.

"We'd start talking and have so much fun I'd start visiting you every day. I'd start taking care of you. How's that sound?"

"Good," Yumie replied lovingly. "Say...when that happens...my mom would be there for me, taking care of me, all alone with no help... Could you lighten her load...?"

The boy smiled. "Count on it."

Yumie closed her eyes as she started crying happily. "I'm glad, then..."

She could imagine all of the good times she and this boy would have together. All of the fun, the laughter, the pain, the fear, the grief, the joy...and most of all, the love...

Just thinking about it made her forget about the weight of the helmet and the bat... All that mattered to Yumie now was herself and the boy, sharing a bright future together, no matter how unlikely it would actually be...

* * *

**Matsushina Household  
** **One month ago**

Yumie shot up from her bed with a gasp. Panting rapidly and sweating profusely, she got out of her bed quickly, almost stumbling in her step, and switched on her lamp, filling her bedroom with light. Once her mind was fully caught up with reality and registered where she was, Yumie let out a deep sigh.

"Just a dream again..." she whispered to herself, her voice devoid of any stuttering.

At that moment, something caught her attention: voices downstairs. The pink-haired girl crept towards her door, slowly unlocked it, and cautiously opened it, allowing the voices to become more discernible. She immediately recognized them as belonging to her parents and brother.

"Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form," they were chanting hypnotically and passionately, as a red light leaked into the hallway. "Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change. Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy. Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life." Their voices started to escalate in tone. "And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits."

Yumie quickly shut the door, muffling out the voices, and leaned against its polished frame, her mind reeling with a storm of conflicting emotions.

"This is wrong..." she whispered. "This is wrong... This is _so_ wrong..."

Her pupils automatically flitted to the cellphone her mother had recently given her. She imagined herself calling the cops and turning her family in as cultists...but then, the image of her parents and brother, the ones who still took good care of her and loved her greatly, suffering behind bars brought tears to her eyes...

And then, she started to think about all the families that had to suffer because of her inability to take action...

Yumie sat down on the floor, buried her face in her palms, and began to weep silently.

_"Please,"_ she thought. _"Whoever you are... Wherever you are... Come and save me... _Please_..."_

* * *

**Remnants of Hashimoto Manor** **  
Present day**

"Hin-_Hinata_?!" Otonashi exclaimed, startled beyond belief. "_Yui_?!"

Upon hearing Otonashi's voice, Hinata and Yui looked around, their minds now catching up to reality. Confusion and even a little panic immediately filled their faces as they broke apart from their once-loving embrace.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Hinata cried. "Where the hell are we?!"

"Is-Is this another operation?!" squeaked Yui. "Wh-What'd Yuri get us into this time?!"

"It's alright, guys!" Otonashi cried, stepping forward and clasping their tense, rigid shoulders. "It's alright! We're NOT in the middle of an operation!" Then, he quickly added, "S-Sorta-"

Hinata stared at Otonashi incredulously. "O-_Otonashi_?"

The redhead nodded and smiled at his friend. "It's alright, man. You're alright..."

Hinata looked absolutely overwhelmed by the sudden developments, for he had nothing to say, and his breathing was a little ragged. Then, his eyes slowly widened, and Otonashi could tell his memories were returning to him.

"W-Wa-Wait a minute..." he said shakily. "We...We moved _on_... H-How the hell do I still know w-who I am?! And who _you_ are, Otonashi?!" He looked around frantically at the devastated room. "Where are we, Otonashi?!"

"Hinata, calm down. Take a deep breath." Otonashi squeezed his friend's shoulder gently. "You too, Yui." He did the same to Yui's shoulder, placating her. "Look, I know this is gonna be hard to believe...and perhaps a little terrifying too...but..." He quickly cleared his throat. "You see...we're in the real world again..."

"_What_?!" Yui exclaimed. "The _real world_?!"

"Yeah. And the year is 2026."

"2026?!" Hinata cried.

He tore himself away from Otonashi's grip and ran up to a cavity in the wall that once held a window. Looking through it, he saw the glittering lights of Tokyo's skyline in the distance. Though he couldn't make out the futuristic designs of the skyscrapers, Hinata could already sense how foreign the very air was. It was like his very body was incompatible to the current atmosphere.

"So..." he said, his voice barely a whisper, "this is...the future... And we're somehow _living_ it..."

"Not exactly," Kanade replied, stepping forward. "We've all been reincarnated into different people, but somehow, we've managed to take control of their bodies."

Hinata glared at the silver-haired girl. "_What_?!" His pupils started to quiver. "Who...Who _was_ I...?"

"Your name was Naotatsu Yunokawa."

"A-And wh-wh-what about m-m-me...?" stuttered Yui.

"You were Yumie Matsushina," Otonashi replied.

"And...what about you two...?" Hinata asked.

"I was Arata Takahashi. She was Chouko Hashimoto. And that's not all, guys." Otonashi's burgundy eyes narrowed. "The rest of the SSS is here as well. Some of them have already taken control of their hosts' bodies, but others have yet to do so."

"So...who's already back...besides us...?"

"Noda, Fujimaki, Iwasawa, and the rest of the Girls Dead Monster. Yuri, Takamatsu, Matsushita, Shiina, and Chaa are all here as well, but they have yet to regain their memories. I have no idea where Yusa, Ōyama, Takeyama, and TK are, but Yuri's host knows them and most likely got them involved as well."

By that point, Hinata was leaning against the wall, his expression shifting from horror to utter disbelief.

"I...I can't believe this..." he breathed out. "I...I thought we all...moved _on_...?"

"I thought so too," Otonashi replied.

"We all did," Kanade said solemnly. "But apparently, our identities were just latent within our host bodies for their whole lives, until we were exposed to stimuli that triggered our returns."

Hinata's head perked upward. "And that stimuli would be...?"

"A group of terrorists." Kanade's golden eyes narrowed with urgency. "They're planning to nuke all of Japan, Hinata, and we put it upon ourselves to stop them."

"N-N-Nuke _Japan_?!" repeated Yui fearfully.

Otonashi nodded. "Yes. We don't know how, but this group has enough nuclear devices to wipe the country off the map."

"Holy crap..." Hinata replied. "Wh-What about the police...?"

"Unfortunately, they're useless by this point."

"Crap..." Then, Hinata stared deeply into Otonashi's eyes and sensed something else from him. "But...that's not all, is it? There's another reason why we're going after those people?"

"Yuri's siblings... I-I mean, the siblings of Yuri's host... They were kidnapped by that group. We have to save them before anything happens to them. Yuri's host, Kimiko Nishimura, she's tearing herself apart thinking about them."

"That's not good at all..." Once again, Hinata looked out of the hole in the wall, towards the lights in the distance. "So...I guess the SSS is back in full swing, huh...?"

"Pretty much."

"Do you know how any of this could've happened? Us taking over the bodies of our reincarnated selves, I mean..."

"I'm not sure, but...it appears..._you_ were the first person to start taking over."

Hinata looked at Otonashi once again. "I _was_?"

"Yes. Your reincarnated self was just telling us about a dream he had, only it wasn't a dream, but one of your memories."

"One of my memories?"

"That's right. And he most certainly was not alone. When he started asking around about this occurrence, someone else came forward with a story of her own." Otonashi suddenly felt driven by a strange surge of energy. "We met her, Chouko and I, and we learned about her daughter Kanade, and the dreams she had about her."

"Her daughter...Kanade...?" repeated Kanade. Then, her golden eyes widened with a startling realization. "You...You met my mother, Otonashi?"

"Huh?" Otonashi looked at her, the energy subsiding as quickly as it came. "I-I _did_...?"

The two stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds, unsure of how to process this latest exchange. Then, Hinata spoke up again.

"W-W-Wait, so Kanade has a mom...who's still alive? And she had the same experiences as my reincarnated self?"

"I...I think so..." But then, Otonashi reconsidered. "No, I'm sure of it. She...She met me...o-or I met her...o-or Takahashi did, I mean. I...I don't know what exactly happened, but-"

"Otonashi," Kanade said, her eyes narrowed at him, "I think...you're finally tapping in...to Takahashi's memories..."

"So do you remember what exactly Kanade's mom told you?" Hinata asked. "O-Or Takahashi, I-I mean...?"

"I'm...not sure..."

"_Think_."

Otonashi's brows furrowed as he strained his mind. At first, he couldn't recover anything significant. Then...

_ **"I'm afraid my break's over. Do call me if you have something, the both of you."** _

_ **"Oh, speaking of which, we don't have each other's numbers."** _

_ **"Ah, yes, I'll give you guys my number. Hold on a sec..."** _

_ **"Same."** _

Otonashi's eyes widened. "Your mother, Kanade...she gave us her number!"

Kanade's eyes widened as well. "Her...Her _number_...?"

The redheaded boy nodded. Then, he reached into his pocket on instinct, but felt nothing there. His heart stopped for a brief, horrifying moment, and he started groping around his body for any lumpy pockets. But he didn't find any. After he double-checked the first pocket he checked, he slammed a fist on the nearby doorway.

"DAMN!"

"Wh-What's wrong...?" Yui asked.

"I don't have my phone," replied Otonashi, before quickly backtracking. "Takahashi's phone, I mean. Takahashi's phone."

"When's the last time you saw it? I-If you ever saw it, I mean?"

"I don't know. I..."

** _"Takaha..."_ **

** _"Look at who... here..."_ **

** _"...ko!"_ **

** _"...love a figh..."_ **

** _"Oof! Agh! Ack!"_ **

** _"...not hurt him!"_ **

** _"...hashi!"_ **

** _"...here to hel..."_ **

** _"Please... -er go..."_ **

** _"Keep him al..."_ **

**_"...mighty _Ka_..."_**

** _"No..."_ **

Takahashi's last memory repeated itself in Otonashi's mind over and over again, like an echo in a chamber. Then, as the redhead focused his mind, he could vaguely hear the clattering of something solid, like metal-

"Goddamn it," he said. "Takahashi must've dropped it when those cultists jumped him and Chouko."

"So Takahashi lost it when Chouko was kidnapped and taken to that skyscraper," Kanade replied. "And that was also the same time as when you came into this world, right?"

Otonashi nodded. "Yes..."

"So where exactly did you wake up, Otonashi?"

"In an alleyway...not too far from downtown Tokyo... A couple found me... I was about to be taken to the hospital..." All of a sudden, Igarashi entered Otonashi's head, and his eyes lit up. "The police..."

"What?" Hinata asked, confused.

"The police! They responded to that alleyway right away, and they were processing the scene... They had to have found my phone and taken it as evidence!"

"So it's somewhere in police lockup," remarked Kanade, putting a finger to her chin.

"It doesn't matter," replied Hinata determinedly. "We'll worry about the phone later. For now, we've gotta save Japan."

"Wait, what?" Otonashi asked, taken aback by the sudden proclamation.

"Look, I may not know the true context of this whole thing, but I'm in, Otonashi. You know I'm in, no matter what."

Otonashi looked away. "Hinata...if you feel like you need to stay out of this, then-"

"Oh, hell no." The blue-haired boy looked back at his friend with determination. "I'm already here, you're already here... Heck, about half of our friends are already here and the other half is still with us... We might as well stop that group and get to the bottom of this mess, right? Because this shouldn't be happening. We gotta find out the cause of this before we get into some real trouble. And the more, the merrier, am I right?"

Otonashi looked at Hinata again and smiled happily. "Of course. I'm...I'm glad to have you back, Hinata."

Hinata chuckled and approached the redhead. "Same here, Otonashi. Same here."

Otonashi and Kanade looked at each other for a moment, silently communicating with their eyes. Otonashi stared at the silver-haired girl reluctantly, but she pursed her lips with defeat and shook her head. The redhead took a deep breath of realization and nodded at her. She smiled slightly and nodded back with understanding.

Then, the two looked at Hinata.

"Yeah, you're right," Otonashi said.

"We save Japan first," added Kanade.

Hinata nodded. "Good."

With that, the two boys took a hold of each other's palms and held on tight like it was a handshake. Then, Hinata looked at Yui.

"What about you, squirt?" he asked teasingly. "Ready to make a difference in real life?"

Yui puffed out her cheeks in an adorable pout. "Don't call me a squirt, Hinata! You know as well as I do that I can kick a whole lot of butt!" The pink-haired girl started making a series of punches in the air. "HYAA! HYAA! HYAA! Heck yeah, I'm ready!"

Hinata chuckled jovially. "Alright, alright, but don't come crying to me if things get too harsh for you. I mean- Hey, hey, hey, Yui! What're you- AGH! OOF!"

Yui had suddenly taken the blue-haired boy and subjected him to, of all things, a German suplex.

"Gonna question me _now_, Hinata?!" Yui asked menacingly as she stood up and dusted her skirt.

"Alright, alright, I give!" Hinata replied with a mixture of shock and happiness. "I guess you showed me there, Yui..."

"Darn straight!"

The two then smiled fondly at each other, just as Otonashi stepped forward and helped Hinata up. Then, before anyone else could have the opportunity to speak, the sound of a single gunshot pierced through the wreckage, followed up with a familiar scream. Chills were sent up the quartet's spines.

"Iwasawa?!" Otonashi exclaimed.

Kanade was quick to activate her Hand Sonic blades and rush off.

* * *

**Several minutes earlier**

"Alright, everyone," Kimiko announced determinedly. "Remember your groups and stick close. We must cover every inch of this place for clues."

"And what if we find something?" asked Hiroto.

"Give me a shout. Now, come on. We mustn't waste any time."

The group instantly broke off into their assigned subgroups and went on their own ways. Hiroto looked around for a brief moment, trying to recall who his teammates were. Then, he remembered and followed after Iwasawa and Fujimaki, who were stepping outside into the backyard. Once he was outside as well, Hiroto's eyes widened with wonder.

"Whoa," he remarked. "So these guys had a pool and a Jacuzzi? Damn..."

"Well," Iwasawa replied in a low, flat voice, as she stared into the murky, muddy waters, "the water doesn't look usable anymore, so don't even try."

Hiroto nearly fell over with embarrassment. "I-I didn't say I was gonna!"

Then, all of a sudden, neither of them budged an inch. Iwasawa merely stared absentmindedly into the dirty, uncleaned water, while Hiroto stared at her deeply. For the longest time, he wasn't sure what was happening.

Finally, the aspiring musician spoke up.

"Tell me...what do you think about all of this?"

Hiroto blinked. "All-All of this? L-Like, re-reincarnation and all that stuff?"

"Yes. And the SSS."

"Th-The SSS...?"

"It's what my group called ourselves in the Afterlife."

"O-Oh! ...W-Well..." The boy gulped awkwardly and looked off towards some bushes. "T-To be perfectly honest..."

His voice trailed off, prompting Iwasawa to reply, "Go on. You don't have to lie."

"W-Well...I'm...I'm glad to know more...about the Afterlife...and what happens after death...in general..."

Iwasawa blinked with surprise. "You do?"

"Yeah..." Hiroto took a deep breath as his eyes became unfocused. "You see, I grew up in Hokkaido. Everywhere you can look, there would always be mountains. I...I used to love mountains... They were so huge and majestic. It was like they were showing off the power of the Earth or something.

"Anyway, when I was still a kid, my class was coming back from a field trip in Tokyo. It was a very rainy and cloudy day, and it was smack in the middle of a huge recession in Japan. Strikes were happening from left and right. So many people weren't very happy with how things were at the time. The aviation industry was one that suffered quite a bit, plus it had never the best in the first place. So a whole bunch of things weren't up to speed when they should've been. ...Like radar systems..."

Iwasawa's eyes widened. The pink-haired girl could tell where this was going.

"Yeah," Hiroto continued with a cynical smirk. "Because of that, plus all the rain and clouds, the pilots weren't able to see that stupid mountain in front of them."

"Oh, my gosh..." Iwasawa replied, staring at the boy with horror. "And you...survived _that_?"

Hiroto nodded. "At first, it was just me and a classmate of mine. All alone, on the side of a mountain, during a cold, wet day, for six hours. I somehow came out with only this." He lifted his pant leg, revealing a considerable-sized scar on his right shin. "But my classmate, well...let's just say she was worse off. She, uh...she eventually died too...leaving me all by myself until search-and-rescue arrived.

"I later learned the only reason I survived was because of my assigned seat and lots of complicated math. Basically, had I been in any other seat on the plane, _any other seat_, I would've died for sure."

Iwasawa looked away awkwardly. "I'm...I'm so sorry to hear that..."

"It's alright. It's...It's what got me interested in death and what happens after. I never really planned to spend my adult life looking into that, but...I just wanted some sort of answer. Something that would put all of my concerns to rest. But I knew the chances of that happening would be zero, so I focused all of my attention on helping others, making sure they don't suffer like I do. I guess that's why I joined Kimiko's club. It gave me the most leeway in helping others at my own capacity. And now-" Hiroto smiled passionately at Iwasawa. "Not only do I have the chance to actually make a difference, but it's also given me an opportunity...to find the answers I've always been seeking..."

Iwasawa looked back at him with surprise. That was when Hiroto started to backtrack.

"I-I mean, I-I didn't ask for any of this! I wasn't hoping the country wouldn't get nuked because of it or anything, n-nor was I hoping to exploit your original deaths in any way-"

"_Relax_, newbie," the musician replied, smiling warmly. "I know these weren't exactly the circumstances you wanted. And I _know_ you're not a manipulative bastard." She strolled up to him and patted him on the shoulder. "You're alright."

"Phew!" He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. "I'm glad to know that!"

"And besides..." Iwasawa stared absentmindedly at Hiroto's chest, her smile still in place, and her hand still clasping his shoulder. "I'm glad to know the SSS isn't burdening you with all of this. After all, we never knew you in the Afterlife. So you're doubly-uninitiated for this sort of thing."

Unbeknownst to her, Hiroto was looking away, his face bright-red. Normally, he didn't care much about girls, but being in close proximity with Iwasawa somehow put him on more edge than ever before. Fortunately for him, the aspiring female musician eventually stepped away and looked up at the moonlight.

"We all have our regrets and unresolved conflicts," she said. "That's why the Afterlife exists. So we can have our second chance at closing that chapter of our lives before we pass on to the next life. It's a cycle, and the Afterlife keeps it all in balance. That's what happens to us after we die. At least, that's what I've gathered from my experiences..." She turned around to look at Hiroto. "Well, newbie? Does that answer your question for you?"

Hiroto gawked at her, his blush even brighter than ever before. He prayed she wasn't able to see it in all of the pale light that shone upon them.

"Y-Yeah..." he replied. Then, he cleared his throat. "And, uh...I'd appreciate it if you stopped calling me 'newbie'."

"Oh, sorry! I didn't happen to catch your name. Mind running it by me again?"

Hiroto stared at her for a moment before replying, "I'm Sekozawa. Hiroto Sekozawa."

"Nice to meet you, Sekozawa-kun. I'm Iwasawa. Masami Iwasawa."

"Iwasawa..." Hiroto smiled. "It's nice to meet you too."

Iwasawa smiled at him before looking over her shoulder. "Now then, where were we again...?"

"We were searching for clues for Kimiko." At that moment, Hiroto noticed something. "H-Hey, wait a minute, where'd our other teammate go? The one with the beady eyes?"

"He must've wandered off without us." At that moment, Iwasawa eyed the wilting garden maze. "Probably in there."

"In there?" Hiroto stared at the maze warily. "I didn't know they had something like that here..."

But Iwasawa ignored him and proceeded inside. "Hey, Fujimaki! Where'd you run off to?! _Fujimaki_!"

Hiroto looked over his shoulder at the ruins of the mansion, where he knew the others were. Then, after spending a few seconds mulling over his decision, he quickly joined Iwasawa on her search.

"What'd you say your friend's name was again?" he asked.

"Fujimaki," the pink-haired girl replied.

"Ah, okay." He cupped his lips with his palms. "Yo, Fujimaki! Where the hell are ya?!"

"Fujimaki!" called Iwasawa. "If you can hear me, sound off!"

But the two teenagers received no response, prompting them to continue further and further into the maze. Even though its plants were dead and dry, the tangled masses of stems and branches still blocked everything else from view. Some of the unattended branches were now overgrown, forcing Iwasawa and Hiroto to step over them.

"Does your friend usually do this?" Hiroto asked eventually.

"Never. I bet he split as soon as he saw the pool. He hates water."

"Yeah, but into this maze?"

"Well, I really can't imagine anywhere else to go for clues." Iwasawa called out again, "Hey, Fujimaki! This isn't funny! I need you to give me a sign on where you are!"

"Ohhhhh, I'll give you a sign, babe..." a familiar voice hissed uncharacteristically.

An arm suddenly slunk over Hiroto's left shoulder, while another hand grabbed onto his right shoulder and held on tight. The boy felt a rusty blade press itself lightly against his neck, prompting him to stop dead in his tracks.

"Oh, shit..." he muttered.

The sound of Hiroto's terrified voice caused Iwasawa to freeze, her blood running cold. Then, she twirled around quickly and aimed her pistol. But what she saw next caused her heart to stop.

"F-Fu-_Fujimaki_?!" the teenage girl exclaimed. "Wh-What the hell are you _doing_?!"

The beady-eyed boy grinned manically and pressed the blade, one half of a pair of gardening shears, slightly deeper into Hiroto's neck, drawing a single bead of blood from his tanned skin. Hiroto's eyes were quivering, and his whole body was trembling so severely that it was like he stepped out of a walk-in freezer.

"Who the hell is Fujimaki?" Fuyuhiko Ezakiya asked with a malevolent sneer.

Iwasawa's eyes widened with horror. _"Oh, crap..."_ she thought. _"I don't know how, but Fujimaki's reincarnated self must have retaken control of his body. Whoever this new guy is, he's definitely bad news!"_

"Okay, whoever the hell you are," she said, her voice low and menacing. "You let him go now, and we can talk about this peacefully-"

Fuyuhiko raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Yeah? And does your definition of 'peaceful' involve me being strapped to a chair and butted in the head a hundred times by a freaking machete?" His sneer became more pronounced. "I think not!"

"What the hell do you want...?" Hiroto asked, his voice coming out as a strangled croak.

"What do I want?" Fuyuhiko bared his teeth. "Well, destruction, for starters. And the cult's my best bet for accomplishing that. The more miserable people that are wiped off the face of this planet, the better!"

Iwasawa's eyes widened even more. "You're...You're with the _cult_?"

"Of course, bitch. And I need to get back to them." Fuyuhiko craned his neck a little to look at Hiroto. "I think I'll take ya along for some insurance. Can't afford to fuck up the master plan for my benefactors, now can I?"

Iwasawa's eyes met Hiroto's, and he stared back at her with terror. Then, at the corner of her vision, she saw something that could turn the tide of this incident: Fuyuhiko's shoulder poking slightly out from the safety of Hiroto's body, partially exposed. The aspiring musician tried her best to suppress a reaction to this realization.

"Okay..." she replied. "Fujimaki, or whoever you are, you don't have to take him." She slowly lowered her gun, eliciting a surprised reaction from Fuyuhiko. "You can take me."

"_You_?" The psychopathic teenager slowly scanned Iwasawa's body from head to toe and smirked hungrily. "I think I can live with that. Maybe I'll have some fun on the way to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police-"

Without warning, Iwasawa aimed her pistol and fired at Fuyuhiko's shoulder. The bullet grazed his skin and struck an old ceramic vase, shattering it and allowing the old soil within to pour out. As Fuyuhiko recoiled from the wound, Hiroto was able to tear away from his grip and run towards Iwasawa. But Fuyuhiko quickly recovered and charged forward with his weapon.

"Sekozawa, watch out!" Iwasawa cried with concern.

In his surprise, Hiroto fell over to the side, allowing Fuyuhiko to tackle Iwasawa to the ground. The impact was so hard it knocked Iwasawa's pistol out of her reach. Before she could react, Fuyuhiko swung his makeshift knife downward, and its blade buried itself deep into Iwasawa's shoulder.

"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" she screamed.

"Ah, yeah!" Fuyuhiko cried gleefully, and he started digging the blade deeper into her flesh. "How does it feel, bitch?!"

Iwasawa grabbed onto the arm holding the knife, and she tried to use her strength to prevent him from digging the knife deeper. Unfortunately, Fuyuhiko was stronger, and she started to feel overwhelmed with pain and exhaustion...

"ARGH!"

Hiroto charged forward, a large, thick branch secured in his hands, and whacked Fuyuhiko across the face with it like the improvised tool was a baseball bat. The psychotic teenager let go of the knife and fell off of Iwasawa, allowing her to pull the weapon out of her shoulder.

Groggily, Fuyuhiko crawled towards Iwasawa's fallen handgun as fast as he could. Hiroto noticed this and dove for it, but Fuyuhiko managed to clasp his hand around its grip first. Hiroto then grabbed Fuyuhiko's hand, and the two boys began to wrestle over ownership of the gun. Growling savagely, and totally preoccupied with forcing Hiroto off of him, Fuyuhiko blinded pulled the trigger repeatedly, causing bullets to ricochet on the walkways and the nearby vases.

Then, Hiroto punched Fuyuhiko in the face as hard as he could. Fuyuhiko's grip on the gun promptly slackened, allowing Hiroto to take it from him. However, Fuyuhiko took a loose slab of cobblestone from the walkway and hit his opponent in the head with it, knocking him over.

"You goddamn bastard..." he snarled as he stood up and towered over Hiroto. "I'm so gonna _enjoy_ cutting you up- OOF!"

Iwasawa tackled Fuyuhiko into some nearby bushes, but he held on to the slab tight and struck her in the head. As soon as he did, she fell limp, allowing him to drop the slab and pick up her body in his arms. As he did, he smirked maliciously and let out a gurgled chuckle.

"Alright, time to get back with the big leagues..." he said to himself.

With that, he ran off in search of an exit. Hiroto watched his departure with horror and stood up, but he found himself a little disoriented from the blow he received.

"Crap..." he muttered. The boy clutched his forehead and felt the fresh blood dribbling down his skin. "Crap, crap, crap... Ugh... C-Can't let him get away...with her... I just...can't..."

Stomaching the pain as best as he could, Hiroto stumbled off after Fuyuhiko.

* * *

Kanade was the first to arrive on the scene, but as soon as she did, she found nothing but destroyed vases, a discarded branch, and a bloodied cobblestone slab. Her brows furrowed, she de-materialized her Hand Sonic blades and bent down to pick up the slab.

"Iwasawa..." she said to herself.

"Kanade!" Otonashi called, as the redhead ran up to her. "What happened here? Where are Iwasawa and Fujimaki?"

Kanade stood back up and looked at him darkly. "They're gone..."

"_Gone_?" Otonashi looked around frantically. "But...But _how_?! What happened?!"

The silver-haired girl raised the slab, and the gleaming film of blood caught Otonashi's attention. He took the slab from Kanade's hands and looked at it more closely. Then, the redhead started looking around for any other clues.

"They were attacked," Kanade explained.

"Attacked?" Hinata asked as he too arrived on the scene, followed by Yui. "Attacked by whom?"

"It couldn't have been the cultists. We would've known if they were here."

Upon hearing Kanade's conclusion, Otonashi stopped dead in his tracks, and he felt a horrible realization seeping into his heart. He desperately wanted to deny the possibility, but the more he mulled over it, the more plausible it seemed by the second. There was no other alternate explanation.

"Fujimaki..." he said in a low whisper.

"Fujimaki?" Hinata asked, confused.

"He... No, his reincarnated self...he's a member..."

Hinata and Yui's eyes widened with horror as the latter replied, "_What_?!"

"I don't know how, but...Fujimaki's reincarnated self must've taken control of his body...and attacked Iwasawa and that other boy..."

"There are no bodies, Otonashi," Kanade said, "so that must mean he took them to a secondary location."

"Yes, but where would that place be...?"

Just then, Kimiko appeared from some bushes, followed by Noda and Asahara. The trio ran up to the quartet, Asahara's gun and Noda's machete drawn. Hinata and Yui's eyes widened at the sight of the newcomers, especially Kimiko, but the couple didn't have time to celebrate joyful reunions.

"Otonashi!" Kimiko cried. "We heard gunshots! What happened?!"

"Fujimaki attacked Iwasawa and Hiroto," the redhead replied gravely. "Took them..."

"Fu-_Fujimaki_?" exclaimed Noda. "The hell?! Why?!"

"His reincarnated self took over again." Otonashi felt his shoulder twitch instinctively. "That guy... He's a total monster..."

"Shit," muttered Asahara, his fists clenching. "That must mean he's taking them back to the damn cult. Oh, and speaking of which, we found absolutely nothing that could be of any use to us! Which means..." He shot an accusatory glare down Kimiko's direction, which didn't go unnoticed by the magenta-haired girl. "We're back at square one!"

Kimiko pursed her lips angrily in response.

"Not exactly..." Kanade suddenly said.

Everyone's heads turned towards her, and Otonashi asked, "What do you mean, Kanade?"

She pointed towards the rough, uneven walkway of cobblestones. Though they didn't see it at first, the inching shine of the moonlight was quick to highlight it for them: a trail of dark blood droplets leading off in a certain direction.

"So the situation isn't hopeless!" Kimiko cried determinedly, her confidence completely restored. "Noda, Asahara, get the others! We need to follow that trail before Fujimaki or whatever his name is now gets a car!"

"Right away, Yurippe!" Noda replied loyally.

"Don't call me that."

"Sure thing, Yur- AGH!"

The purple-haired delinquent had to dodge an upwards kick from Kimiko before running off. As for Asahara, he remained for a few moments. He locked eyes with Kimiko and narrowed his at her direction, causing her skin to pale considerably. Sensing a potential confrontation, Otonashi stepped forward with the intention of defusing it, but Asahara seemed to let go of his outrage for the time being, for he turned around and followed Noda.

Once the two boys disappeared into the ruins of the mansion, a trembling Kimiko growled angrily and kicked one of the destroyed vases, sending its pieces skittering in all directions.

"DAMN IT!" she cried through outraged tears, startling the others. "STUPID, STUPID, **STUPID**! I SHOULDN'T HAVE LEFT FUJIMAKI WITH IWASAWA AND HIROTO!" She started stomping down on the dried soil. "FIRST MY SIBLINGS AND NOW THIS?! DAMN YOU, GOD! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!"

"Hey, calm down, Yuri!" cried Hinata. He stepped forward and touched Kimiko's shoulder, but she slapped his hand away.

"DON'T YOU CALL ME THAT, NAOTATSU! I'M **NOT** THIS GODDAMN YURI PERSON!"

Hinata initially stared at Kimiko with confusion and disbelief. Then, he remembered what Otonashi told him about her.

"And I'm no longer Naotatsu..." he said solemnly.

"YEAH, DAMN RIGHT YOU'RE-!" The rage and anguish in Kimiko's eyes were instantaneously replaced with befuddlement. "W-Wait, _what_...?"

Hinata chuckled and scratched his head sheepishly. "Yeah, uh...I'm so sorry, but Naotatsu isn't here at the moment. My name now is Hideki Hinata."

"Hideki...Hinata...?" Kimiko repeated with disbelief.

"Yeah." Hinata held out his right hand. "It's so nice to meet you. What's your name?"

Kimiko reluctantly looked at Hinata's outstretched hand for a moment and contemplated her next choice. Eventually, she took his palm and shook it gently.

"Kimiko Nishimura..." she replied, her voice soft and ambivalent. "My name's Kimiko Nishimura."

"Kimiko, huh?" Hinata's blue eyes narrowed earnestly. "Don't lose hope, Kimiko. We'll find your siblings and save them. I promise you that."

Upon hearing those words, the magenta-haired girl averted her gaze, though Otonashi and Hinata could see the hopeful look in her sea-green eyes. But before the conversation could continue, the air was penetrated by the hammering sound of automatic gunfire. Everyone's heads turned back towards the manor, just in time to see a large section of it collapsing in on itself.

"NODA?!" Kimiko called with horror. "ASAHARA?!"

* * *

**Several minutes earlier**

As soon as they parted from the rest of the group, Mutsuto, C, and Royama glided aimlessly through a number of rooms before they entered the family room. The first thing they saw was the oblong table where the Hashimoto family ate their meals. Mutsuto arched an eyebrow and released a single, drawn-out whistle.

"Wow," he remarked. "That's one big-ass table. Makes me wonder if the homeowners were trying to overcompensate for something..."

Suddenly, the large, stocky boy heard some slight shuffling and looked over his shoulder. Within a split-second, he found Royama scouring through one of the many cabinets in the room.

"Yo," he said. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Trying to take some of this glassware," Royama replied. "This _is_ the home of one of the wealthiest families in Japan. If I find something valuable here, I'm _so_ gonna sell it-"

"Even in the face of an impending nuclear apocalypse?" C interrupted, her eyes closed. "How foolish."

"Hey, I didn't forget about that! No need to remind me!" Then, Royama looked at the ninja girl and frowned. "And for the love of God, stop _saying that_! It's bad enough that I've been roped into this mess! Now I've got a hot girl like you looking down on me like a heap of trash!"

"Justifiably so."

Royama's frown deepened. "Jeez, I can't wait till this is all over..."

"Hey, no one's asking you to stay and help, man," Mutsuto replied. "You've been given _so many_ opportunities to bail, yet you never took _any_ of them." He crossed his arms. "And that tells me you've got a bit of a brave side to you, even if you are too afraid to admit it."

Royama glared at Mutsuto and jabbed a thumb at his chest. "Look, man, I'm only in this for the fame and glory, alright?! I mean, _the_ Yuzuru Otonashi needs help in solving this crisis, and if I help him out, then maybe I'll get some recognition and respect for once!"

"Recognition and respect...for once...?" Mutsuto repeated, confused.

"Well, _yeah_. Who _doesn't_ want that?" Royama resumed his search for valuable, salvageable items. "I just didn't expect I would be doing something like _this_ in order to get it."

"Well, what _did_ you expect?" C asked.

"Oh, I dunno. Getting a whole bunch of politicians arrested for corruption, without me getting shot at in the process...?" Royama paused mid-movement. "You know, that's kinda why I joined the Global Awareness Club. So I'd get the chance to do important stuff like that. But I quickly got bored with the stuff they were doing before. I thought we weren't being extreme enough in our efforts." He chuckled dryly. "Guess I gotta be careful what I wish for." He closed the cabinet door and glanced over his shoulder. "What about you guys? Why're you guys still sticking around?"

"We're street children, man," said Mutsuto. "We've been cast aside by society, with nothing but the asphalt and concrete to our name. Our lives never amounted to anything. We walk on goddamn tightropes trying to make sure we live to see another day. So..." He looked down at his palm. "If this country is gonna go to hell, if there's nothing we can do about it, then we might as well go out fighting. That way, our lives will mean something to someone."

Royama blinked with surprise. "Oh. That...That makes sense..."

"You know, it's ironic. C and I, we've made a living singling out hapless dudes with heavy pockets pick-pocketing the shit out of them. And throughout the years, the kinds of people we pickpocket just blend together. To me they're all conceited heaps of crap whose only best interests are their own. No one truly cares for people like us. Even if someone decides to make a donation to help homeless kids, they're just doing it for the euphoria it brings to their pathetic soul. Deep down, they're glad it's us out on the street and not them. They're perfectly content with helping us, just as long as they're still the people on top..." He clenched his fists. "I've always hated society for that. For raising attitudes like that. And that is why I'm not surprised you'd be into this for the fame and glory, even if you already have everything."

"Everything?" Royama repeated. "HA! I'm flattered, dude, but trust me, I have _nothing_-"

"No, you don't? You've got every last freaking thing any regular member of society could ask for. A permanent home, a steady lifestyle, a clear-cut vision of the future, possessions to call your own, people who love you-"

Royama suddenly scoffed. "No, I don't."

"Yes, you do-"

"No, I _don't_." The redhead took a deep breath. "Look, life has never treated me well my whole life. I'm barely scraping by in school, I've got parents who've given up on me a long time ago, no serious plans for the future...and I may have friends in the club, but no matter what, I wind up being the butt of their jokes, sooner or later-"

"Unsurprising, given your attitude," C interrupted, her voice still monotone.

"Yeah, _exactly_. No one takes me seriously..." Then, after some quick pondering, Royama heaved out a sigh. "And yeah, I guess I'm partially to blame for that as well. I guess that's what I get for striving for something that's way out there such as respect... But it's all I've got in life!"

"You want recognition and respect?" The ninja girl twirled her wooden shinai around before resting it on her left shoulder. "Stop being a baby and put others over yourself." She turned around and started walking away. "Life never treats anyone well, no matter how much people want it to. You are NOT going to get the things you want exactly the way you want, so just let your fears go and allow your better judgment to guide you."

Royama and Mutsuto stared at her as she left. Then, Mutsuto looked at Royama, who was gawking at her with wonder.

"Hey, she's got a point, man," he said sagely.

"Allow my better judgment to guide me...?" Royama repeated to himself.

But before he could ponder those words any further, the two boys heard a gunshot, followed by a familiar scream.

"What the?!" exclaimed Royama.

"That was that Iwasawa girl!" Mutsuto cried.

But before either of them could act, an emotionless C dashed past them, her wooden shinai poised to strike.

* * *

Fuyuhiko Ezakiya didn't remember how he regained consciousness, but the first thing that entered his mind was a whole set of knives...and a gruesome scene of bloody carnage. That was what spurred him to action, just like it always did. And he knew it was too good to be true the moment he saw that Hasumi Itagaki girl with another guy, but it didn't matter to him either way. He did what he thought was natural, and now he was going to be rewarded handsomely by the cult.

If he could get back to them, that is.

The psychotic teenager entered the mansion, allowing some unknown, foreign instinct to guide his way. For some reason, he knew where to go, what paths to take. It was unusual to him, because he never allowed instinct to take control of him and navigate him through the day. He always relied on his bloodthirstiness and a never-ending series of circumstances to live out his life. There was never any purpose to his actions. He never believed in it, and he didn't want it.

But for once, he decided to trust in his inner judgment.

Just then, Fuyuhiko heard the Hasumi girl groan, and he smirked down at her. He kept his eyes on the red blood trickling down her forehead.

"Ah, don't worry, babe," he said. "It's just a scratch compared to what you're about to experience. Trust me, it'll be on a whole other level- OOF!"

Something long and blunt hit him in the back of the head, and he collapsed to the ashy floor, letting go of Hasumi in the process. Growling savagely, Fuyuhiko scrambled back up on his feet and saw Hiroto Sekozawa preparing to take another swing with the detached leg of a chair. His face was streaked with his own blood.

"You let go of Iwasawa now, you bastard!" Hiroto shouted, his voice slightly woozy.

Fuyuhiko cackled as he ducked his head and avoided the second swing. Then, he tackled the other boy to the floor.

"Ahhhhh, so you wanna be a hero now, ehhh?!" the beady-eyed teenager shrieked. "Is that what's happening?! Heh heh heh..." With his pupils constricting, he clutched Hiroto's neck with both hands and began squeezing with all of his might.  
"Well, I'll show you how heroes get _truly_ rewarded!"

He began to cackle as he felt Hiroto's life force ebb away by the second. The other boy struggled in vain, trying to pry his hands off his neck and hit him in vulnerable places. But Fuyuhiko refused to let the opportunity to take a life go to waste. After all, he _thrived_ on the suffering and the loss of life-

Once again, Fuyuhiko's fun was interrupted by another blunt object striking him in the head and knocking him off Hiroto.

"GAH!" he shouted as he clutched his forehead. "STOP RUINING MY FUN, BITCH!"

Through his blurring vision, Fuyuhiko could see a calm, collected girl with dark-blue hair and red eyes, who was wearing a dark-blue tank-top, black jean shorts, and a pink, thick scarf that nearly obscured her mouth. In her right hand was a wooden shinai, which she twirled around in the air.

"Prepare to face the might of the shinai..." C hissed, her red eyes narrowing at him.

* * *

Upon realizing C's arrival, Hiroto, still gasping for breath, stood up on his feet and stared at Iwasawa's motionless form. Unfortunately, it was lying closer to Fuyuhiko than him or the ninja girl.

"C!" Mutsuto cried as he and Royama rushed onto the scene. "What happened?! What's going on?!" Then, his eyes flitted to Fuyuhiko's direction. "Yo! You're Fujimaki, right?! Would you mind filling me in on...?" His voice trailed off the moment he spotted Iwasawa. "Iw-Iwasawa!"

"Be careful, Mutsuto," C warned, stopping her partner-in-crime from rushing to the pink-haired girl. "Something's wrong with Fujimaki."

"Wh-_What_?!" Royama exclaimed, surprised. He looked at the beady-eyed teenager disbelievingly. "No way. He looks fine to me." He started waving at Fuyuhiko. "Yo, Fujimaki! You alright?"

"Ohhhhh, I'm alright," Fuyuhiko replied with a gleeful smirk. "In fact, I'm _better_ than alright-"

Hiroto charged towards Fujimaki, closely followed by C. "Let Iwasawa go, you bastard!" he shouted.

"HAHAHA!"

Fuyuhiko sidestepped Hiroto's attempt at a swing, then grabbed C's arm before she could swing her shinai downward. C tried to break free, but Fuyuhiko took this time to elbow her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Then, Hiroto charged at Fuyuhiko again, but he shoved C into him, sending both teenagers toppling. With his opponents incapacitated at the moment, Fuyuhiko picked up the discarded chair leg and charged at Mutsuto and Royama.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Mutsuto cried as he and Royama avoided one of his swings. "Fujimaki, what the hell's wrong with you?!"

"STOP CALLING ME BY THAT GODDAMN NAME!" Fuyuhiko roared, flecks of spit flying out of his mouth. "I AM FUYUHIKO EZAKIYA, AND YOU WILL ALL WITHER AND **BURN**!"

He was about to make another swing at Mutsuto's direction when the stockier boy raised something. Fuyuhiko froze and his blood ran cold at the sight of the Rheinmetall MG 3 light machine gun, whose barrel was aimed directly at his head.

"Alright then, whoever you are," Mutsuto said triumphantly. "The gig is up."

Fuyuhiko bared his gritted teeth at him with a hiss. Then, he looked over his shoulder and saw Hiroto and C getting back up. Suddenly, he seemed to notice something else, for the boy's beady pupils started darting around the bloodshot white of his eyes, examining his surroundings. Finally, he looked back at Mutsuto, and his frown suddenly turned into a vicious grin.

"Ohhh, not yet..." he replied.

Then, without warning, he threw the chair leg over Mutsuto's shoulder. It hit the wall behind him and Royama, seemingly with no effect. Royama stared at the place where the chair leg hit, then looked back at Fuyuhiko with an amused smirk.

"_Really_?" the redhead asked. "That's _all_ you've got?"

Suddenly, a low, horrendous creak started echoing throughout the room. Hiroto, C, Mutsuto, and Royama looked around and saw cracks forming everywhere on the walls, originating from the place Fuyuhiko struck.

"You guys have fun with that," Fuyuhiko replied tauntingly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a police station to go to."

"Oh, shit!" Royama screamed, his voice cracking.

"Everyone, get cover!" ordered Mutsuto.

Within seconds, the ceiling started plummeting down on all of the teenagers, piece by piece. C, Mutsuto, and Royama ran in different directions, searching desperately for something stable that they could seek shelter under.

As for Fuyuhiko, he picked up Iwasawa's still-motionless body and ran as fast as he could for the fireplace. Once the boy arrived, he looked around frantically as the ceiling and the walls collapsed all around him. Almost immediately, Fuyuhiko noticed the small golden statue sitting conspicuously on a simple wooden table beside the fireplace.

_"Ah, bingo!"_ he thought gleefully.

He stepped forward and aimlessly groped the statue with his free hand before pushing it down into the table. A loud and mechanical snap of a click pierced through the collapsing wreckage, followed by the fireplace opening up automatically. Fuyuhiko sneered triumphantly and ran into the panic room. Inside, he looked around, saw the red button, and pressed it, triggering the fireplace to slowly close and save him from the falling wreckage.

However, just before it could fully close, Hiroto slipped through the gap.

"You just don't know when to give up, do ya?!" Fuyuhiko shouted.

"Not until you give Iwasawa back!" Hiroto shouted back, his voice labored by his deep, ragged breathing. "You bastard!"

"Awwwww, now isn't _that_ adorable!" At that moment, Fuyuhiko spotted a green button at the opposite end of the room. "Unfortunately..." He approached the button and pressed it, opening up the wall. "My superiors need a fresh sacrifice and I'm gonna be rewarded generously for this chick! So, uh...sayonara!"

With that, he burst into a sprint down the passageway, with Iwasawa still in his arms and a maniacal laugh trailing from his mouth. Hiroto growled furiously and ran after him as fast as his legs could carry him.

_"I gotta get Iwasawa back!"_ he thought with determination. _"I...I can't let her die! I can't let that happen again! I...I just _can't_!"_

* * *

"OH, MY GOD!" Kimiko screamed as the mansion continued to collapse in on itself. "NODA! ASAHARA! GUYS!"

She and the others suddenly heard a trio of feminine screams emerging from within the building. Seconds later, Hisako, Miyuki, and Shiori ran outside, completely covered in dust and soot.

"Hisako!" Yui cried happily. "Miyuki! Shiori!"

"H-Huh?" Shiori stared at the pink-haired girl for a second. "Y-_Yui_?"

"Yui?!" squealed Miyuki.

"We don't have time for reunions!" Kimiko snapped. "Did any of you see any of the others?!"

Hisako stopped to catch her breath, upon which she started coughing. Then, she replied in a strained voice, "I saw Noda and Asahara...run past me...towards some yelling in another room... I think it was...Mutsuto, C, and Royama..."

"No..." Kimiko breathed out, shaking her head slowly with denial. "No, no, no... If...If they die because of me-"

"They won't die," Kanade interrupted suddenly. "Have faith, Kimiko."

"Have _faith_?! How am I supposed to have- Ka-_Kanade_?!"

Kimiko and the others watched as Kanade deactivated her Hand Sonic blades and ran into the collapsing manor without a second thought. For some odd reason, Kimiko wanted to run in after her and stop her, but an outstretched arm hindered her from doing so.

"O-Otonashi!" she cried. "A-Aren't you going to s-stop her?!"

But to her surprise, the redhead shook his head with a gentle smile.

"Kanade knows what she's doing," he replied calmly. "Trust her."

Kimiko's sea-green eyes expanded with complete astonishment at Otonashi's confidence. However, an unknown, foreign instinct guided her into agreeing with him, and she stared reluctantly at the manor as the entire western wing crumpled inward, further destroying what remained of the great Hashimoto Manor.

A few minutes later, Noda and Asahara emerged, carrying an unconscious Mutsuto and C, respectively.

"What happened to them?!" Hisako exclaimed.

"They got knocked out," Asahara replied. "Don't worry, though; they're fine."

"What about Kanade and Royama?" asked Kimiko.

"Kanade's saving Royama right now," Noda replied smoothly.

At that moment, the western wing exploded, forcing all of the teenagers to run towards the garden maze to avoid being pelted by debris. Mere moments later, they watched as Kanade ran out of the manor at shockingly superhuman speeds, all the while carrying Royama's unconscious form and completely lacking a speck of dust on her clothes.

"Ka-_Kanade_?!" Kimiko cried in disbelief.

But Otonashi smiled at the hilarious poker-face Kanade was wearing as she carried the redhead.

_"Yep,"_ he thought. _"That's Kanade for you."_

* * *

"I'm _booooo__ooooorrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeed_!"

"Stop _saaaaa__aaaaayiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnng_ that!"

Natsumi delivered a scowl at Chazawa's direction before stroking the top of Yuri's head. The cat purred softly and rubbed its body against her crisscrossed legs. As for Chazawa, he sighed with irritation and rested his forehead against the hard leather of the van's steering wheel.

"D'you have any idea when they're gonna be done?" he asked. "I'm not sure if there's gonna be anything useful over at that wreck of a home."

"Don't ask meeeee," Natsumi replied absentmindedly. "I'm just a _liiiiittle_ kid."

"Yeah, and a pain in the ass too."

"Oooooh, you said a _bad word_."

"Ah, shut the fuck up, bitch."

"You're gonna go to _heeeeelllll__lllll_."

"I don't believe in Hell. Or Heaven too, for that matter. It's all just a bunch of stinking horseshit that people sell to other people so they could dupe 'em into giving 'em their money."

"Then what do you think will happen to you after you die?"

"Whatever that Noda punk and his friends told us. It sounds legit to me. For some reason." Chazawa lifted his head and looked at Natsumi suspiciously. "You're asking a _lot_ of complicated questions for a little kid..."

The little girl merely shrugged as she scratched the underside of Yuri's neck. "I just wanna know where my Onii-chan is." Then, she released a drawn-out yawn and started to slump against the van. "I...I like Noda-san...but I'd rather have my Onii-chan back soon..." Her eyelids started to flutter. "He makes the bestest food..."

"Well, we'll see what happens." Chazawa stared at Natsumi as she started to drift off to sleep, and remembered how late it was at night. "Just go to sleep now, Natsumi-chan. I'll wake you up when your Onii-chan comes back."

"'_Kaaaaay_..."

With that, Natsumi dozed off, and Yuri promptly curled itself up on her lap and fell asleep as well. Chazawa smiled at the adorable sight before refocusing on the windshield. He could see Hashimoto Manor in the distance...and saw its western wing falling apart and collapsing in on itself.

"What the f-?" he began in a whisper.

Chazawa was interrupted by movement at the corner of his eye. Turning his head sideways, he saw someone emerging from the abandoned shed Kimiko and her group disappeared into. At first, the person was obscured by shadows, but as he got closer, Chazawa realized it was Fujimaki...and he was carrying an unconscious, bloodied Iwasawa!

"What the hell...?" Chazawa got out of the van and ran up to Fujimaki, who froze upon spotting him. "H-Hey, man! What the hell happened to you?! And her?! And where are the others?!"

At first, Fujimaki did not respond, and Chazawa couldn't help but feel something was off with him. Then, all of a sudden, panic filled the delinquent's face.

"Th-The others..." he said, sounding as if he was about to burst into tears at any moment. "They're... They're all DEAD!"

"_What_?!" Chazawa exclaimed, his voice cracking.

"W-We-We're the only s-sur-survivors!" Fujimaki raised Iwasawa's unconscious form slightly. "Q-Quick! W-We need t-t-to get her t-to a ho-hospital!"

"The hospital! Right! Gotcha!" However, Chazawa looked back at the direction of Hashimoto Manor. "Bu-But shouldn't we check for any other sur-"

"NO!" Fujimaki interrupted. "We gotta go now! Like, _right now_!"

"O-Okay! Okay, okay..."

Chazawa ran back into the van, while Fujimaki opened up one of the side-doors and casually threw Iwasawa inside. Just then, before he could board himself, Chazawa heard a small banging noise. He looked towards the abandoned shed and saw Hiroto running out, his face flushed and his breath strained.

"Sek-_Sekozawa_?!" exclaimed Chazawa. "You're alive too?!"

"CHAZAWA!" Hiroto screamed at the top of his lungs, and Chazawa immediately registered the terror in the boy's voice. "THAT BOY, THAT'S NOT FUJIMAKI!"

Chazawa's eyes widened with horror. "_What_?!"

"THAT'S-"

Hiroto was cut off, just as Chazawa simultaneously felt something cold press against his neck lightly. His pupils darted to the corners of his eyes, and they caught the malevolent sneer on Fujimaki's face.

"You'd better start driving..." Fuyuhiko snarled, his eyes quivering with madness as they were trained on Hiroto. "If you don't, I cut the little girl's throat open and you'll get to watch the blood gush out of her like a fountain!"

Chazawa hitched his breath, and in the terrifying silence, he could hear Natsumi's soft breathing, indicating she was still asleep. Not wanting to jeopardize her safety, his pupils trained themselves back on Hiroto.

"Sorry..." he mouthed ambivalently.

"Chazawa, do-!"

Hiroto's voice was drowned out by the loud bellow of the engine. Chazawa put the van in reverse and stepped on the gas pedal. The rickety vehicle lurched backward and crawled along the ground for a few feet, with Hiroto in pursuit. Fuyuhiko saw this and gritted his teeth with exasperation.

"Better hightail it fast or you'll regret it, wheel-man," he snarled.

Once he got far enough from the original parking spot, Chazawa put the gear into drive and stepped on the gas pedal for a second time. The van raced forward and inched to the right, just narrowly avoiding Hiroto. Fuyuhiko giggled sadistically and released Chazawa.

"Now that's a good hostage."

"Where do you want me to go?" Chazawa asked, his voice low.

"To the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters." Fuyuhiko's grin became more pronounced. "That, you lucky man, is where it's all gonna go down. That's where the world is going to change for the better..."

Chazawa blinked with fear, but he maintained his composure and kept driving even after he reentered the street adjacent to Hashimoto Manor. There was no way he was going to put Natsumi's life at stake, not to mention Iwasawa's.

_"Don't worry, Natsumi-chan, Iwasawa-san,"_ he thought. _"I'll find a way to get us outta this predicament..."_

Unbeknownst to anyone else, Hiroto was hanging on for dear life on the side of the van.

* * *

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that marks the conclusion of this chapter! Not only did you get to see the immediate aftermath of the returns of Hinata and Yui, but you also got to learn more about the actual OCs of the group, Hiroto and Royama! Not to mention it looks like something's blossoming between Iwasawa and Hiroto. ;D And outside of that, it appears Fujimaki is now out of the picture again! You'll learn more on what happened to him in the next chapter.
> 
> Anyway, I do apologize if it seems like I sort of glossed over Hinata and Yui's return. Looking at that section now, I really feel like that should've been included in the previous chapter as well. Ah, well. Beggars can't be choosers.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	30. Pieces Falling Into Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 28: PIECES FALLING INTO PLACE**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - ** _ **Post-Afterlife Name** _

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Takamatsu - _Takayoshi Asahara_

Yusa - _Rikana Egami_

Ōyama - _Hozumi Karubo_

Takeyama - _Touya Hamada_

TK - _Tyler Kendall_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

Chaa - _Chazawa_

* * *

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* * *

**Yunokawa Household**   
**Current Meeting Place of the Global Awareness Club**

"Naotatsu, Yuuji!" a voice called. "We're home!"

Yuuji Yunokawa looked over his shoulder with surprise and saw two familiar people entering the house. He looked back at Touya Hamada, who took the message almost immediately and closed his laptop. With that, Yuuji ran up to the couple.

"Mom!" he greeted, forcing a smile on his face. "Dad!" Then, his face paled. "Uh...what's that police car doing here...?"

"Well, your mom and I were outside when the shelter-in-place order was given," Yuuji's father explained, looking over his shoulder and nodding at the officer leaning against the car's hood. "The Tokyo Metropolitan Police took us in for a bit and then they agreed to take us home."

"O-Oh..." Yuuji shot Touya a relieved look, and the glasses-wearing boy merely nodded back calmly.

"Oh, why hello, Hamada-kun!" Yuuji's mother greeted, having also noticed the teenager. "How're you?"

"I'm good, Yunokawa-san," Touya replied. "Thank you very much."

The woman then started looking around the house. "Yuuji, where are Naotatsu and the others? I thought you kids were having a club meeting." Then, her eyes widened a little. "Oh, please don't tell me they went out or something and didn't know about the shelter-in-place-"

"Oh!" Yuuji exclaimed as he began to nervously sweat a little. "No, they didn't go out! They're, uh...th-they're...sleeping upstairs! Yes, they're sleeping upstairs!"

"Really?" the father asked, surprised. "What for?"

"They ate too much," Touya replied, his voice still calm.

Yuuji's parents stared at the bespectacled boy with surprise. Even the police officer outside seemed befuddled.

"They ate too much?" repeated the mother.

Touya nodded without missing a beat. "Yes."

"Oh." The woman frowned disapprovingly as she entered the kitchen. "Yuuji-kun, I _told_ you and your brother not to spoil your friends with all the food we have. Eating too much is bad for one's health, you know."

"I-I know..." Yuuji replied, bowing his head. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'll keep that in mind next time."

"Good."

"Alright, Officer!" Yuuji's father called, staring out of the doorway again. "We're all good here. Thank you so much for the ride!"

The policeman nodded in response and gave the other man a tip of his cap. Then, Yuuji watched with relief as the officer got into his cruiser, activated its engine and sirens, and drove off. Yuuji's father then closed the door, locked it, and then looked at his youngest son.

"Yuuji-kun, why're you sweating?" he asked.

"O-Oh!" Yuuji's sweating began to intensify. "Uh, we, uh, did a lot of work today, the club and I! Y-Yeah, lots of work!"

"Really?" the mother asked, staring at the young boy suspiciously from the hallway of the kitchen. "Exactly what kind of work did you and your friends do today, if you didn't leave the house?"

"Tracking down cyberbullies," Touya said quickly, before Yuuji could have a chance to come up with an excuse.

"Tracking down cyberbullies?" the father asked, surprised.

"Yes. In online video games. We'd report them for harassing other users and get their accounts suspended. Basic stuff."

"Ahhhhhh, I see," replied the mother before giving a warm smile at Yuuji. "I'm so glad you and your onii-chan have such kind and caring friends, Yuuji-kun."

"Yes," the father added in agreement. "And to think, you and your friends spend your spare time helping out others? You guys are on your way to becoming something special, I know it."

The mother then raised her index finger and wagged it with warning. "Just don't get yourselves mixed up with anything dangerous, alright Yuuji-kun? We don't want you or your onii-chan risking your lives doing the right thing, no matter how noble the cause is."

Yuuji gulped a little, but he replied, "Yes, Mom."

"Um, Yunokawa-san?"

Yuuji looked at Touya and saw that he was looking into his laptop again. His brows were furrowed, alarming the younger boy.

"Can we be excused for a moment?" the bespectacled boy asked. "I found another group of cyberbullies, and I think we need Nishimura's input before we proceed."

"O-Oh!" The Yunokawa mother's eyes widened. "S-Sure. J-Just don't agitate those bullies _too much_, okay?"

"Sure."

Touya shot Yuuji a discreet look of concern, which the other boy recognized. Together, the two went upstairs.

"What's going on?" Yuuji whispered.

"Not yet," replied Touya, as his eyes closely followed what Yuuji recognized as computer coding. "We need to get inside a bedroom first."

"Onii-chan's room is right here..."

Yuuji approached the closest door and opened it, revealing a room full of various posters hanging from the walls, mostly of clear skies and fertile fields. Touya walked inside and immediately sat down on Naotatsu's bed while Touya closed the door behind him. As soon as he turned around, Yuuji found the computer-savvy boy typing away furiously on his laptop.

"What's going on, Hamada-kun?" he asked.

"It was a long and tough battle," Touya replied, his eyes still trained to his screen, "but I managed to break through the firewall."

"What?! You mean you-"

Touya finally raised his head and put a finger to his lips. "Shhhhh!" Then, he nodded discreetly. "Yes. I managed to hack into the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's computer systems."

"How much can you see or do?"

Touya looked back towards his screen; his glasses were glowing from the light coming from his laptop. "I need to review the reach of my software, but so far, it looks like I have access to a number of systems that are within the department's purview."

"Such as...?"

"Security cameras, databases, case-files-"

"Wait," interrupted a stunned Yuuji. "So you got in _that far_?"

"It seems like it. Now I need you to remain quiet. I have to see which surveillance cameras I have control over."

Yuuji clutched his head with shock and started pacing around. "Holy crap. Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap. I can't believe you actually _did_ it. I can't believe you broke through that far!" He stopped and looked at Touya. "Are the police still trying to fight against your hack?"

"Yep. The moment I broke through their firewall, their efforts have intensified. But I can hold them off."

"You...You can..._hold them off_? B-But I thought you said you'll only be in their system for ten, fifteen minutes max before you have to get out, otherwise they'll know where we are?"

"Yes, yes, I did. But..." Touya's glasses shone even more. "Maybe I figured out some things to keep them off my back for much longer."

"Holy crap. _Hoooooly_ crap." Yuuji leaned against a wall with disbelief. "J-Just make sure the cops don't track down where we're at. I'm _not_ getting arrested tonight, tomorrow, or at any point in my life!"

Takeyama raised his head and stared at Yuuji.

"Never underestimate me..." he replied calmly and confidently, "for I am Christ."

Yuuji stared back at him with confusion. "W-Wait a minute..._what_?"

Touya blinked. "What?"

* * *

**Nishitōkyōchūō General Hospital**   
**Nishitōkyō, Japan**

Loud sirens pierced the air as the ambulance neared Nishitōkyōchūō General Hospital, with the two police cars following right behind it. The small convoy came to a stop at the ambulance bay, whereupon a doctor and several nurses ran out of the hospital in preparation for the incoming patient. The ambulance driver got out of his vehicle, went over to the rear doors, and opened them up, revealing Naoi strapped to a stretcher while being attended to by another paramedic.

At the same time, Fukuyama, Sekine, and Kuramoto got out of their cars and watched as the doctor and small group of nurses helped Naoi out of the ambulance.

"What happened?" asked the doctor.

"GSW to the chest," said the paramedic attending to Naoi. "He's critical right now."

"Alright." The doctor turned to the nurses. "We need to get him to surgery right away."

"Yes, Doctor," the head nurse replied.

Fukuyama quickly turned to Sekine and Kuramoto. "Watch those two," she instructed. She pointed to the backseat of her cruiser, which Rikana Egami and Sachiyo Sugisata were sitting on. "Make _sure_ they don't escape. I swear, I hope the two of you learned your lesson with Arata Takahashi. If neither of you did, I'll make sure your jobs suffer for it."

"Y-Y-Yes, F-Fu-Fukuyama," stuttered Sekine.

Fukuyama gave the two officers one last look of disapproval before following Naoi into the hospital. Once she was out of sight, Kuramoto angrily slammed a fist on the hood of Fukuyama's car.

"Goddamn!" he cried with frustration. "Who the hell does she think she is?! Igarashi?!"

"Hey, hey, calm down, man," Sekine replied glumly. "She's got a point. We screwed up big-time, and it's all led to this."

"Goddamn..." Kuramoto leaned against Fukuyama's car. "I've only been on the job for, what, three months? I expected a whole bunch of badass action and explosions, like what you see on TV. But instead, a bunch of wackos have the better of us and things have already gone to crap. This is _not_ what I signed myself up for."

"Well, _technically_ we are caught up in a lot of action right now." Sekine crossed his arms and looked off into the distance. "We just don't know how to handle it, that's all."

"Oh, look at you, being all serious and-and self-knowing and-and woken up and shit!"

Sekine looked back at his partner with confusion. "Huh?"

Kuramoto clutched his head. "I'm _tired_! This shit has been going on forever and I want it to _end_ already! I wanna take a nap!"

"_This_ is the Tokyo Metropolitan Police's bravest and brightest?" a new voice asked. "Now I worry about the future of our city."

Kuramoto glared at Rikana, who was looking away in an attempt to hide her smirk. "Hey, little missy," he snarled, "don't get all snippy with me, alright?! I do NOT have the time for this! You think you know any better because you outsmarted the Tokyo Metropolitan Police's bravest and brightest?! You and your friend-" He glared accusingly at Sachiyo next. "-are just a couple of delinquents!"

** _"They're coming with us. Perhaps they know something about what happened as well."_ **

** _"Ar-Are you sure about that...?"_ **

** _"So you think they disregarded a government order to shelter in place indefinitely for absolutely no reason other than to get some kicks for youth's sake?"_ **

Recalling Fukuyama's words, Sekine approached Rikana's side of the car. "Or maybe not..." he said, almost to himself.

"What the hell are you talking about, Sekine?!" Kuramoto snapped irritably. "What're you even _doing_?!"

"Being _useful_..." Sekine trained his sights on both Rikana and Sachiyo. "You, with the blonde hair. You said your friend's sisters and brother went missing. Remind me, that was Kimiko Nishimura, right?"

"That's right," Rikana replied bitterly.

"And when Fukuyama said all you were doing to disobey the shelter-in-place was hit a bunch of cars with baseball bats, you implied that wasn't all you were doing. Tell me, what else _were_ you two doing?"

Rikana stared at Sachiyo, who seemed to communicate something back at her with her eyes. Sekine stared at Sachiyo's eyes as well and noticed the strange glimmer in them. What was it? _Concern_?

Then, all of a sudden, Kuramoto blurted out, "The kids with the rocks!"

Sekine shot his partner a disbelieving look. "Kuramoto, if you're _really_ tired, you can go sleep in the car! I'll handle this-"

"No, the call I got, about the kids throwing rocks at storefront windows! Last I heard, those kids were arrested and taken in for questioning, but..." He ran up to Sachiyo's side of the car, startling her. "They were with you, weren't they?!"

"Oh, gee," Rikana deadpanned flatly. "It took you _that long_ to notice, Officer?"

"Hey! We're trying to make up for all the shit we caused, alright?! And for the record, I'm still tired, so it took me a while to remember, 'kay?" Kuramoto leaned in a little closer. "What the hell were you kids doing?!"

"And why should we tell you? It's because of your department's incompetence that my friend's siblings are in danger! It's because of _your_ incompetence that all of this is happening!" Rikana clenched her fists tightly. "For the longest time...my friend has always wanted to do the right thing. She believed in truth, justice, and fairness... She could never stand by if someone needed help, or if there was a problem that desperately needed addressing.

"But time and time again, she was let down by authority, the very forms of authority that she trusted to carry out what she believed in. Especially after her mother's murder." Rikana narrowed her eyes at Sekine. "It took you too long to find the people who robbed and killed her mother, all because one of them was filthy-rich and making shady deals under the table with your bosses!"

Sekine and Kuramoto looked at each other with understanding. They knew what murder she was talking about.

"And even if your people finally decided to do something about it," Rikana continued, "you still stood by when that prick paid off the courts to let him and his friends off the hook! Authority failed my friend so hard when she needed it the most and now it's failing her again! So that's why she created that club! So we can succeed where you guys failed! And that is exactly what we're doing right now!"

"So...you and your friends are looking for her siblings all by _yourselves_?" Sekine asked. "Do you have _any_ idea how risky that is?! You kids are going up against the _cult_! You could get yourselves hurt!"

"I guess that's the price we're willing to pay for making up for _your_ failures."

Sekine grimaced briefly before replying, "You really care for your friend that much, huh...?"

"Kimiko Nishimura's been my friend since we were in junior high. She became my friend when no one else wanted to be. She showed me that there was meaning to the world, meaning that was hidden underneath all of the sadness and pain." Rikana suddenly blushed a little. "She is an amazing person..." Then, she frowned again. "And you _failed_ her."

"Yeah, but the thing is," Kuramoto said slowly, "_we_ weren't involved with that murder case you just mentioned to us. Me and my partner. That happened _way_ before either of us joined the force. That had _nothing_ to do with us."

"But you wear the same badges as the people who chose to turn the other way for the criminals."

"But those people aren't us," replied Sekine. "And if I recall, those people eventually faced justice for what they did."

"But not before the true killers left the country and went into hiding. They're probably on some yacht right now, sipping drinks and laughing at their success. And it still doesn't excuse your own shortcomings."

"Of which we are _prepared_ to make up for."

Rikana gritted her teeth viciously. "And how can I trust you? You're just two men working for a massive department. And you're probably just doing this to salvage your reputations and become heroes in the eyes of the public."

"Hey, quit stonewalling us!" Kuramoto snapped. "You complain about us doing nothing, but when we want to actually do _something_, you're suspicious of us and think we've got some ulterior motive behind our one-eighty!" He crossed his arms angrily. "Ya know, you've got a _lotta_ attitude for someone who says she's doing all of this for her friend! What the hell did cops do to _you_, huh?"

Rikana opened her mouth and prepared to respond with another rebuttal, but something unwanted suddenly seemed to penetrate her mind. Sekine saw her reddish-orange eyes widen, with the pupils dilating and trembling severely. Her fair skin was paling a little.

Sachiyo seemed to notice Rikana's reaction as well, for she spoke up for the first time.

"It doesn't matter what her views of police are," she said coolly, with her brows furrowed. "She's right. The moment your superior officer chewed you guys out for your incompetence, you shift gears and start taking things seriously. How d'you expect us to trust you when you probably _do_ want to just save your own skins?"

"Goddamn!" cried Kuramoto, having reached his breaking point. "Of _course_ we want to save our own skins! If I get fired for this, I'm never gonna get another law enforcement job again! And how the hell am I supposed to get any action if the only other option I have is to scrub shit for a living?!"

"Kuramoto-" Sekine began.

"D'you have _any_ idea how hard it was for me to land this job?!"

"Kuramoto-"

Kuramoto leaned in and stared straight into Sachiyo's eyes with outrage. "I had to scrape by high school and then study hard to get through the police academy!"

"Kuramoto, for God's sake-"

"And though my job's been goddamn boring so far, I have worked _hard_, day by goddamn day, to muster the willpower to keep clockin' in and out and doing my patrols and paperwork, no matter how exhausted they make me, no matter how goddamn much I just wanna drop dead, because I _know_ excitement's ahead and that's all I want out of a job and I-"

"Kuramoto," Sekine suddenly said, his voice quiet and deadly as he gripped the open window, "for the love of God...shut the hell up...and go sleep in the goddamn car!"

The other officer stared at him, stunned. "What the hell, man?!"

"Kuramoto, you _clearly_ need to take a nap. Your eyes are baggy and you're close to having a mental breakdown. I'll take care of this."

"But did you hear-?"

"I'm the same distance away from these girls as you, Kuramoto. I heard them. Now go sleep in the damn car."

Kuramoto didn't have time to argue any further. He marched away from the car, muttering curses underneath his breath. Once his partner got into his cruiser, Sekine looked at Rikana and Sachiyo.

"Okay," he said. "I understand you don't have any reason to trust us, but trust me, we want to help."

"And why should we accept your help?" Sachiyo asked with suspicion.

"Because it's our job. We may not be perfect, me nor my partner nor the whole department, but we're on a ticking clock and we've got nothing to point us in the right direction. So..." He opened the side-door. "If you kids know what the hell's going on, then we've got no choice but to seize the opportunity, since we've got nothing else."

Sachiyo stared at the open doorway hesitantly. "You're...letting us go...?"

"Well, not exactly. I'm coming with you."

Rikana blinked with surprise. "You're..._coming_...?" she asked.

"You kids are technically still under the custody of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. If I let you two escape, then I'm putting my job on the line. But if I'm still able to keep an eye on you, then the worst I'll face is a report and some reprimanding. Not exactly a preferable alternative, but..." He smiled softly. "I think I'll take it."

Rikana and Sachiyo looked at one another hesitantly before refocusing on Sekine.

"Before we go," Sachiyo said, her voice slow, "you need to do us one little favor."

"Anything," the officer replied earnestly.

"Give us your gun."

"No."

Sachiyo frowned with disappointment. "You _just_ said you'd do anything."

"I take it back. I'll do anything _except_ give you my gun."

"You cops barely use guns anyway," Rikana replied.

"But this is a special situation, and special situations require officers to use guns."

"But you've got a lot of power over us with that thing," said Sachiyo. "If we're going to do what you want us to do, then you need to surrender your gun to us."

"We're not gonna use it," added Rikana. "We don't even know how. We'll just hold onto it. For insurance."

Sekine cursed under his breath and turned his head towards the skyline. His face was only half-illuminated by the golden lights coming from within the hospital, but Rikana and Sachiyo could see a certain glimmer present in his sapphire eyes. He was thinking about it, going over his chances...

He pulled out a New Nambu M60 revolver, held it by its silver barrel, and showed its grip to Rikana.

"Don't make me regret it," he said.

Rikana stared at the grip of the revolver before smiling and taking the firearm. She examined its barrel and cylinder for a quick moment before placing it on her lap. She then raised her arms, which were restrained at the wrists by handcuffs.

"Okay," she said. "Now unlock these handcuffs."

* * *

** _"You're so amazing, Igarashi-kun. Do you know that?"_ **

** _"Please don't say that, Fukuyama."_ **

** _"No, it's true! You're really, really amazing. And you've got humility to boot. Yet another thing amazing about you. No wonder why the junior officers all look to you at the precinct. ...So, uh... Have you thought about what I told you last week? Do you have a response for me?"_ **

** _"No. I'm still thinking about it, Fukayama."_ **

With a heavy sigh, Fukuyama stared at the room that she knew Igarashi was resting in. A part of her wanted to check on him, see how her superior officer was doing, but another part of her restrained the policewoman from doing so.

_"Now's not the time, Risa..."_ she thought glumly. _"Igarashi-kun would _never _forgive you if you wasted even a second of this investigation fawning over him like a schoolgirl. ...No. First, we bring those cultists to justice, once and for all. Then, I can see if he finally has an answer for me..."_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the banging of a door. The woman jerked her head upward and saw Kuramoto rushing into the lobby, his face flushed as he panted rapidly.

"Kuramoto?!" Fukuyama shot up from her chair. "What happened?!"

"I dunno, but...but..." Kuramoto hesitated and gulped. "Those girls, the ones you took in... They managed to escape!"

Her eyes widened. "_WHAT_?!"

"Y-Yeah! A-And Sekine's gone too! I-I dunno if they got the jump on him and took him with them, or if he went after 'em on his own, or-"

"It doesn't matter!" Fukuyama's eyes turned into slits. "_Please_ tell me you tried to do something about it."

Kuramoto gulped again, and Fukuyama could see the beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. He stammered in an attempt to explain himself, but she already concluded what had happened.

"Don't even try, Kuramoto." She pulled out a walkie-talkie and started to leave the lobby. "You're staying here. I'm gonna call in backup for you. Wait for the surgeon to get done with the boy, and for the love of God, _make sure_ he doesn't leave the room." She stopped and glared at Kuramoto with disappointment. "I just _cannot_ believe you. Just wait till the higher-ups hear about this. Wait till _Igarashi_ hears about this."

Kuramoto's skin paled at the last two remarks, but he didn't speak any further. Fukuyama turned around and prepared to leave the lobby when another set of doors suddenly burst open. The policewoman looked over her shoulder and saw the surgeon rushing into the room with a look of panic. There was small spatters of blood streaked on his light-blue scrubs.

Fukuyama lowered her phone and ran up to the man, as did Kuramoto. "What happened?" she asked. "Are you hurt?"

"N-N-No..." the surgeon replied with a shaky voice. "B-Bu-But...th-the boy... Th-Th-The one you br-brought in..."

Fukuyama could tell where this was going next. "What happened to him?"

"He...He's gone..."

"_What_?!"

"He escaped... We tried to stop him but he got away from us and jumped out of a window..."

Fukuyama turned to Kuramoto. "Call the guards and fill in on the situation. And get a BOLO out on the kid!"

"Y-Y-Yes, ma'am!" The inferior officer pulled out his phone, but before he could dial a number, he looked up at Fukuyama with confusion. "Wh-Wh-What am I supposed to give for a description?"

"Teenage male, dark-green hair, gold eyes, probably wearing scrubs! Now go, go, go!"

Kuramoto nodded and started dialing. Meanwhile, Fukuyama glanced back at the surgeon.

"Tell me everything that happened," she said.

The surgeon nodded meekly before explaining, "B-Before we could initiate the surgery...he...he just..._woke up_... I-It was unbelievable. I had never seen someone look so fine after suffering a gunshot wound..."

Fukuyama and Kuramoto were both bewildered by the description. "What?" the former asked.

"I-I mean, he was _definitely_ in pain, b-but not that much...which is impossible given where he was shot... It's like some supernatural force was keeping him alive or something..."

"And then what happened?"

"W-Well, h-he... W-We tried to restrain him, b-but he got the better of us... He got to his clothes and pulled out a...a _gun_ of all things-"

"Wait, he had a _gun_?"

"T-Two, actually; I noticed the second one while he was picking up his pants."

"What...?" Fukuyama looked down at the floor and whispered to herself, "How'd we miss that...?" Then, she flatly looked up at Kuramoto, who was busy talking into his phone. "This is just unbelievable..."

"Anyway," continued the surgeon, "he pointed the gun at us, told us not to move, grabbed his clothes, and jumped out of the window like he was in a spy movie or something. It was... It was crazy..."

"Okay, okay. Keep talking."

* * *

** _"NO! No, no, no, no, MOM! Mom, stay with me! STAY WITH ME!"_ **

** _Through blurry, wet vision, he was staring at the fallen, bloodied form of a woman on a cold, hard floor. Her skin was as pale as snow. A familiar girl with silver hair was crawling towards them._ **

** _"Junna-san?!" the girl exclaimed. "Junna-san! Junna-san, stay with me!"_ **

**_"Go...without...me..." Junna croaked out. "_Go_..."_**

** _"NO! I CAN'T! I CAN'T LEAVE YOU HERE-"_ **

**_"Leave me...and _live_... You must...leave me...and...live your life..." Junna clutched the girl's hand and held on to it tightly. "Promise me...Chouko-chan. _Promise_...that you'll...live..."_**

** _A sob escaped Chouko's mouth, but it was pretty clear there was nothing more that could be done. Too much time had been wasted, and Junna was bleeding out. There was no going back now._ **

** _"I promise, Junna-san..." she said._ **

** _Junna smiled and, using the last of her strength, lifted her other hand up to Chouko's face. Her trembling fingers caressed her tear-stained cheeks gently, and the silver-haired girl seemed to rejoice in the feeling, as if she hadn't felt anything like it before. She instinctively nuzzled her cheek into the woman's fingers._ **

** _Junna's smile widened and she whispered, "You'll be...a great...pianist...someday..." She then started glancing between him and Chouko in turn. "I love you both..."_ **

** _And with that, a rattle sounded in her throat, and..._ **

"MOM!"

Cursing in his mind, Naoi shook his head and covered his mouth. He tried to remain still behind the bushes he was hiding behind, but it was already too late. A beam of bright, white light focused itself on the bushes, peering through the leaves and branches and almost blinding the teenage boy.

"We heard you!" a voice barked. "Come on out with your hands up!"

"Don't make us come for you!" a second voice shouted. "You're not gonna like it if we come over there!"

Cursing in his mind again, Naoi then hollered, "You guys don't understand! Someone's in danger, and I gotta help them!"

"Yeah, tell _that_ to the judge," replied a third voice.

"This isn't a joke! I _have_ to help!"

"Listen, buddy," the first voice said, "I don't know what kind of surgery you were getting, but you gotta get back there or you'll be feeling a whole lotta pain!"

"I'm not in pain!" Naoi replied. "I swear, I'm fine! I...I don't even know _why_ I'm getting surgery!"

"We don't either, man, but we have our orders from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and those are to take you back-"

"The Tokyo Metropolitan Police?" Naoi's head was reeling from the overload of information; first he found himself back in the world of the living, then he was experiencing memories that weren't his, and now he was apparently under arrest? "I don't understand-"

"You _will_ if you give yourself up peacefully!" the second voice interrupted. "Now do NOT make us repeat ourselves again! Come on outta there with your hands up!"

"Hell, no! If I'm in the custody of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, then I won't be able to help whoever's in danger! I'm so sorry, but I can't hand myself over to you guys!"

"If you insist, man! You may be injured, but we won't hesitate to do whatever it takes to get you back in line! Boys, let's go get him."

Realizing he had no other options, Naoi leaped out of the bushes with his twin 9mm Heckler & Koch USP pistols in hand. Before the hospital guards could react, he fired above them and at the ground in front of them. Once the guards flinched from the gunshots, the teenager took this opportunity to run past them.

"What the?!" one of the guards shouted. "He's getting away! After him!"

"Should we send out the dogs?" another guard asked.

"_Dogs_?! We don't _have_ dogs! Where the hell did you get the impression we _had_ any?!"

Naoi did not hear the rest of the conversation since he got far enough from the guards. As he continued to run, he could feel the pain in his chest intensifying, and he gritted his teeth to stave it off. Even though he insisted he was not in pain, he couldn't give the officers any excuse to bring him back in.

_"Damn it,"_ he thought. _"I have _no idea_ what's going on... What's happening, where I am, why I'm in this situation in the first place... I gotta get to the bottom of this..."_

He eventually reached the front of the hospital, where he found an ambulance and two empty police cars waiting. Then, he glanced at the sidewalk and saw that it was going to be a long walk to Tokyo.

"Crap," he muttered as he glanced at the three vehicles waiting for him. "I don't even know how to drive..."

"Hey, hey!" a voice cried. "I-I see him! Fukuyama, he's over there!"

Naoi looked over his right shoulder and saw two police officers, one of them male and the other female, sprinting out of the hospital. The two took quick notice of his USP pistols.

"FREEZE!" the woman shouted as she pulled out her gun.

"Crap!" Naoi cried as he took cover behind the ambulance. Fortunately, he didn't hear any shots being fired.

"Come on out with your hands up!" called the man. "Don't make me ask again-"

Naoi then faintly heard the woman speak. "It's alright, Kuramoto."

"F-Fukuyama?"

"It's okay. I'll handle this." Then, the woman called out, "Kid! I know things are confusing right now, but you were about to go into surgery and-"

"I feel _fine_, Officer!" interrupted Naoi. "I don't _need_ help! But someone else does, and I have to find out who!"

"Yeah?" replied the man. "Well, get in line. You're the second person to tell us that today. Or did the first instance happen yesterday? God, I've lost track of time. I _really_ need to take a nap-"

"Don't even think about it, Kuramoto!" Fukuyama snapped harshly.

"W-Wait a minute," Naoi said. "I'm the _second_ person to say this? Who else said that?!"

There was a brief silence before Fukuyama replied, "Your friend...Arata Takahashi."

For some reason, Naoi found the name vaguely familiar. Nevertheless, he replied, "I don't know any Arata Takahashi!"

"Well, you do. You hosted him and his friends when he stayed at the mansion you lived at."

"I did?" Naoi's eyes widened. "And I lived in a _mansion_?"

"That's right."

The boy stared blankly at the nearest police car as it continued to illuminate the area with the bright, red and blue lights of its sirens. He contemplated his next decision for a moment.

Finally, he asked, "Do you know my name?"

"What?" Fukuyama asked.

"I asked if you know my _name_. What is it?"

There was a brief period of silence. Naoi could tell neither officer wanted to answer that question. Then, Fukuyama spoke again, and her voice was hesitant, as if she was treading on a very serious topic that could cause Naoi to break down at any moment.

"Your name is Fuuta."

Naoi felt his world crumble all around him. "Wh..._What_...?"

"You are Fuuta. Fuuta Ukiyo. You're the only child of a maid who worked for the prestigious Hashimoto family. She...She was murdered, Fuuta. Murdered by cultists that we're trying to track down. We found her body yesterday evening, in the office building of the Hashimoto patriarch, who we've determined had been leading the cult this entire time. He's dead... But many of his followers remain at large and we believe they are plotting a wide-scale attack on Tokyo, or perhaps even the whole country.

"And from my standpoint, you, Arata Takahashi, and your other friends have been taking your own fight to the cult since yesterday, for reasons we still cannot fathom. Nevertheless, we can't allow that. You're all still kids and you're interfering with a police investigation. That's why you're in our custody, and that's _exactly_ why we need you to come out-"

"Like hell I am, Officer!" Naoi shouted loudly and defiantly. "You may think I'm a kid, that I'm some ordinary guy named Fuuta Ukiyo, but I'm not! Not anymore, that is!"

"What're you talking about?"

"I'm Ayato Naoi, member of the SSS! And if the situation you just described is the very thing I've been sensing, then it's my duty to try and put a stop to this!"

Naoi heard footsteps approaching his position, and he took a deep breath while raising his pistols in preparation.

"We can't let you do that, kid," Kuramoto said. "Now, Ukiyo or Naoi or whatever you're calling yourself now, drop the gun and come on out slowly with your hands up. We don't wanna shoot you, but we will if we must."

"Damn..." Naoi muttered angrily to himself. Then, he looked at the pistol clutched in his left hand. An idea quickly came to his mind, and he raised his left hand as it trembled. The boy looked at the pistol for one last time, before dropping it. There was a sound of clattering metal on the asphalt.

"Okay, that's good," Fukuyama said. "That's _very_ good, Ukiyo. Now, just raise your hands-"

Her foot came into view, and Naoi fired a shot towards its general direction. The 9mm bullet struck the ground in front of Fukuyama's toes, surprising the policewoman and forcing her to withdraw.

"What the?!" Kuramoto shouted as he emerged from the other side of the ambulance. But by that point, Naoi had burst into a mad sprint for Fukuyama's police car. "He-He's taking the car! Shit!"

Out of panic, he fired off a shot at Naoi as the boy took cover behind the police car. It struck one of the wheels, deflating it within seconds. Before he could fire another one, Fukuyama ran up to him, grabbed his arm, and forcefully lowered his gun for him. This gave Naoi the time and opportunity to stealthily move away from the car.

"Are you out of your _mind_?!" she shrieked. "Shooting at a kid unprompted like that?!"

"_Unprompted_?!" Kuramoto glared at her with disbelief. "Fukuyama, he fired a gun _at_ you! He's armed, he's certainly not gonna cooperate, and-" He quickly looked across his shoulder. "And he's going for _my_ car!"

Indeed, Naoi had decided to move on to Kuramoto and Sekine's police cruiser, and was already behind the wheel. To the surprise of both officers, the teenage boy was able to turn on the engine.

"Don't tell me you left the _keys_ in the engine, Kuramoto!" Fukuyama cried.

"W-Well..." Kuramoto's face became florid with embarrassment as he aimed his gun. "What do _you_ think?!"

The woman ignored him and held out her hands as a gesture towards Naoi. "Ukiyo, think about what you're doing! If you do this, we'll have no choice but to take you in for vehicular theft!"

"You say the whole country might be in danger!" Naoi called boldly. "If I was investigating with friends, then chances are we found something and are now on the trail of these people! I'm gonna get back to my friends and get to the bottom of this...and you're NOT stopping me!"

"Ukiyo, _please_ think about this! Think about what your mother would say!"

**_"Leave me...and _live_... You must...leave me...and...live your life..."_**

Fuuta blinked sadly for a moment, before Naoi steeled his resolve again and clenched his fists.

"I'm not Ukiyo anymore!" he shouted. "I'm Ayato Naoi!"

He shifted the gears in reverse and stepped on the gas pedal. The police cruiser roared to life and slid away from the two officers with a deafening screech. At the same time, the hospital guards arrived on the scene with their guns drawn.

"The kid's getting away!" one of them shouted.

"Open fire!" another ordered.

"No, wait a-!" began Fukuyama.

But it was too late, for the guards began firing their own revolvers at the car. Naoi ducked his head as bullets pelted the exterior shell of the car and shattered the windows. The black-and-white vehicle took a tiny dip off the curb of a concrete sidewalk and entered a street. Then, the boy shifted the gears to drive, turned the steering wheel, and drove off at high speeds.

"Holy crap!" Naoi cried with a mixture of terror and exhilaration. "Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! I...I'm driving! I'm-I'm _driving_!"

He began laughing with excitement as the police cruiser entered a well-off neighborhood in Tokyo, which was surprisingly empty. There weren't even any other vehicles on the road, but it didn't matter to Naoi.

"HAHAHA!" he cried. "I can't believe it! I can't believe I'm actually driv- AGH!"

He abruptly swerved out of the way to avoid running over a crossing rabbit and wound up plowing through a newspaper stand, sending sheets of paper everywhere. Some of them plastered themselves all over the cracked, broken windshield, forcing Naoi to desperately try to find the wipers.

"It's gotta be just like the movies," he said to himself as his hand groped around the dashboard for any useful buttons or levers. "There's gotta be something that allows me to get these-"

Something struck the car on the side, sending it swiveling wildly out of control. Naoi screamed at the top of his lungs and held on tight to the steering wheel, moments before its center mass exploded and a safety airbag rapidly unfurled out of its tattered remains, shielding the boy. In a couple of seconds, the car hit something and became still.

* * *

**Unknown location**

"Ugh... My head..."

The teenage boy who looked way older for his age lifted his head away from the slowly deflating airbag. He winced as an unbearable ringing noise tormented his eardrums. Dizziness and disorientation abruptly caught up with him; he clutched his head and immediately felt something wet on his temple. He withdrew his hand and curiously studied his fingertips.

"Bl.._Blood_...?" he asked.

Within several seconds, the ringing noise in his ears slowly subsided, allowing the boy to hear what sounded like weeping coming from the back. Out of concern, he looked over his shoulder.

The first thing he saw was the two teenagers sprawled on the floor in front of his seat, both of them unconscious. One of them was a boy with a mat of unkempt black hair and an unpleasant-looking face. The other was a girl with chin-length, hot-pink hair and a fair face. Both of them looked somewhat familiar, but his mind was in a scramble so he couldn't exert the extra effort in identifying them. Then, he turned his head a little and saw a young girl with purple hair hunched over in her own seat, restrained by a seatbelt; she was clutching her arm...which was streaked with scarlet blood.

"Holy crap," the boy said. Out of instinct, he unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed over the front seats to attend to the girl. "Are you okay? What happened?"

The girl sniffled and looked up. "Chazawa-san..." she whispered. "My arm... It hurts so much..."

"Ch-_Chazawa_?" Chaa blinked and tilted his bleeding head a little. "Who the hell's that?"

"Y-_You_..."

"Wh-_What_?" Chaa then shook his head and carefully took the girl's arm. "We'll talk about that later. Let's just take a look at this arm here..." His eyes widened at the sight of the considerable gash in her forearm. "Ohhhhh, boy... That does _not_ look good..."

"I...I want...m-my onii-chan..." the girl said, trying her best not to burst out crying.

"Okay, okay. We'll find your onii-chan, don't worry."

Chaa looked over his shoulder and out of the windshield. The windshield of the van he had apparently been driving was cracked severely, and deathly gray smoke was pouring out of the crumpled hood. The pungent odor was leaking through the broken side-windows.

Then, he looked down at the unconscious boy with the black hair. Blinking twice, Chaa pointed at his form.

"Is this your onii-chan?" he asked.

She followed his finger, saw the boy, and shook her head. "No."

"_Okaaaaay_...who _is_ he, then?"

"A crazy friend."

Chaa blinked again. "I don't get it, but...okay." He looked over his shoulder again. "A-Alright, wait here." He prepared to climb over the front seats again when he stopped and turned back at the girl. "What's your name again?"

"N-Na-Natsumi..." stuttered the pained girl. "D-D-Don't you r-re-remember, Ch-Cha-Chazawa-s-sa-san...?"

"Ah." Chaa proceeded to get back in the driver's seat. "I'm sorry, Natsumi-chan. I, uh...I hit my head a little. My memory is in a bit of a jumble..."

"O-Okay..."

"Okay. Now just hold on for a sec, Natsumi-chan." He opened up the driver's door and stepped out of the van with some difficulty. "I promise, I'll be getting you outta here in just a sec-"

"Chazawa!" a voice cried. Before Chaa knew it, he was nearly knocked into the door by another teenage boy who seemed to be wearing grimy clothes and had bleeding scrapes all over his face and palms. "Oh, thank _God_ you're alright! L-Look, we need to get Iwasawa and Natsumi out of that van right away-"

"I'm-I'm so sorry, man," Chaa interrupted, stunned by the sudden development, "but...who the hell are _you_?"

"What? Oh, come on, Chazawa, this is _not_ the time to play games with me!"

"I'm not. I..." Chaa hesitantly glanced at Natsumi through one of the cracked windows; she didn't appear to be listening. "I'm not Chazawa... I swear, I have no idea what's happening here-"

"Oh, God..." the boy replied with shock. "You're...You're another member of the SSS...?"

Chaa's head perked up at the sound of his former team. "The SSS?!" He grabbed the boy's shoulders and shook him. "Y-You _know_ what the SSS is?!"

"Yes, yes!" The boy placed his hands on Chaa's hands and removed them from his shoulders. "I know your friends."

"Tell me, what the hell's happening? I thought I moved on! I'm not supposed to _be_ here!"

Then, for the first time, Chaa truly realized the magnitude of his surroundings. The grizzled teenager looked around and realized he was standing in the middle of a well-off neighborhood...but something was different. The architecture of the buildings all around him, the designs of the van he had been driving and a wrecked police car nearby, and even the very atmosphere felt different...like his whole body was incompatible with the environment.

"Look, we'll talk about that once we get out of here," the boy said as he limped towards the other side of the van. "Okay, what's your name?"

"Ch-Chaa..."

"Chaa."

"A-And yours...?"

"Hiroto. Hiroto Sekozawa." By that point, Hiroto reached the door. "Alright, first thing's first, we have to get Iwasawa and Natsumi as goddamn far away from here as possible. We gotta find shelter or help or something."

"Wait, Iwasawa?" Chaa peered through the window and watched as Hiroto opened up the door. "That girl's Iwasawa?"

"That's right. Now come on, I need you to help me out-"

"What about the other guy?"

Hiroto stared at the unconscious boy warily. "I'm...I'm not sure if we should help him or not..."

"Wh-Why not?!"

"Well, he, or his alternate identity, is the one who's responsible for getting you in this mess in the first place." Hiroto saw Iwasawa's body and gently picked her up in his arms. "Alright, Iwasawa, I got you..."

"Ho-Hold on a sec," Chaa interjected. "Al-Alternate _identity_? I-I don't understand-"

"We need to get back to Otonashi. He'll explain everything to you, man."

"_Otonashi_?" Chaa then clutched his head with disbelief. "Yeah, I _definitely_ need a thorough explanation for all this..."

"Now hurry up and help Natsumi out! I think she's bleeding!"

"Y-Yeah..."

The still-confused Chaa ran over to the other side of the van and joined Hiroto's side as he safely got Iwasawa out of the wrecked van. Chaa climbed into the van again and leaned towards Natsumi, who was still clutching her bloodied arm.

"It's alright, Natsumi-chan," he said as he held out a hand. "I've got you now."

Natsumi nodded slowly in response and took his hand with her uninjured arm. With a smile, Chaa helped her out of her seat and then cradled her in his arms. Then, the teenage boy got out of the van and looked around.

"Okay, just fill me in on the basics, Sekozawa," he said. "Where are we? And what date is it?"

"We're somewhere in Tokyo," Hiroto replied, "and the year is 2026."

"2026?!" Chaa looked around with a mixture of awe and horror. "I...I died in 2006... So this is what the world looks like when twenty years have passed?"

"Apparently..." Hiroto looked over his shoulder and spotted the wreckage of the police car. "Come on, let's check that car and see if the driver's alright."

"Th-The driver?" Chaa spotted the police car. "You mean to tell me I _rammed_ into that police car?"

"I was hanging onto the van when it happened. Apparently it came out of nowhere and you...or _Chazawa_ had no chance to react." Hiroto suddenly gulped and shook his head, as if he were trying to ward away certain thoughts from his head. "It was... It was horrible..."

"Good God..."

Chaa and Hiroto ran up to the police car, with Natsumi and Iwasawa still in their arms. Chaa looked into the driver's seat and saw, much to his surprise...

"What the hell?! _Naoi_?!"

The boy groaned, removed his head from the deflating airbag, and slowly looked at him. At first, Chaa saw a glimmer of unfamiliarity in his eyes, before Naoi gasped with disbelief.

"_Chaa_?!" he cried.

"What?" Hiroto from Chaa to Naoi and back. "You two _know _each other?!"

"He's another member of the SSS." Chaa glared at Hiroto with confusion. "I thought you knew my friends?"

"Well, apparently not all of them," replied Hiroto as he stared at Naoi with confusion. "I mean, we _did_ split up and I don't think all of your friends regained their memories yet..."

"Memories?" Chaa and Naoi asked at the same time.

"Like I said, we need to get back to Otonashi. He'll explain everything-"

"Wait, _Otonashi's_ here?!" Naoi exclaimed.

"Yes. And like I _said_, he'll explain everything-"

"Explain what?"

"Mother of-"

"Ugh..." a new voice suddenly moaned. "What _happened_...?"

Chaa and Hiroto looked over the shoulders and spotted the other unconscious boy in the van, who was now crawling out from the open side-door, with a hand over his forehead. Now that he was able to get a better look at the boy's black hair and beady eyes, Chaa's eyes bulged with disbelief.

"_Fujimaki_?!" he cried.

"W-Wait a minute, Chaa!" began Hiroto, but Chaa had already run up to the beady-eyed boy as he collapsed to the hard asphalt.

"Fujimaki! Holy crap, _you're_ back too?!"

"Fujimaki?!" Naoi called with disbelief.

Chaa ignored him and continued, "I-I didn't even know it was _you_, man!"

Fujimaki removed his hand from his forehead and stared up at Chaa. Just like Naoi, there was a glimmer of unfamiliarity in his eyes for the briefest moment. Then, he blinked with confusion.

"H-Hey, uh..." he began, but his voice suddenly trailed off.

Realizing Fujimaki didn't recognize him, Chaa replied, "It's me! Chaa! Y-You may have known me by Chazawa, b-but not anymore! I-I'm back now!"

"Chaa?" Then, Fujimaki smiled with relief and recognition as he sat up. "Oh my God, Chaa! Holy crap, I...I-I can't believe you're back too!"

"I know! It's pretty weird, huh?" Chaa shot another look at Hiroto, who was befuddled by the recent turn of events. "And you said this guy was bad news! What the hell, man?!"

"H-He _was_ bad news..." Hiroto replied almost to himself.

"I was?" Fujimaki briefly looked up at Hiroto, and then he looked around to survey his surroundings. "Wait a minute, wh-where am I?"

"Somewhere in Tokyo." Hiroto examined his surroundings as well. "I think I've been in this area before. I should be able to guide us out of here easily-"

"Wa-Wait a minute," Fujimaki interrupted, glancing at Iwasawa and Natsumi. "Don't you guys think we should take these two to a hospital or something?"

"No, we can't go to a hospital!" Naoi suddenly said as he finally got out of the police car. "I just got away from one in this car, and the cops will definitely try to look for me at other hospitals."

Hiroto glared at the green-haired teenager. "Why would they be trying to look for you at a hospital?"

"Apparently I was shot-"

"You were _shot_?" Chaa said incredulously.

"Yeah." Naoi suddenly winced and reached for his upper back. "It hurts like a bitch, but I can walk just fine. Anyway, as you guys can tell, I stole one of their cars, so the cops won't be pretty forgiving when they find me. And by the looks of things, I doubt I can say otherwise for you guys..."

"Then where the hell are we gonna go for help?"

"H-How about th-the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters?" suggested Fujimaki.

The other three boys looked at him. "Come again?" Naoi asked.

"It's nearby. A-And d-don't you think the police will be able to help us?"

"Those are the _last_ people we want to seek help from," replied Hiroto. He then looked over his shoulder. "No. We have to make our way back at the Hashimoto estate, see if they're there-"

"With all due respect, man," Fujimaki interrupted, "I don't think they'll last long if we waste time going back to a location they might not even _be_ at anymore. I mean, look at them!" He gestured towards Iwasawa's unconscious, battered body and Natsumi's bleeding arm. "L-Let's just get them to the cops! I mean, I don't think all of them will be able to recognize us. And we'll try and lie our way through the whole thing!"

"Fujimaki's right, man," Naoi said. "I just got back in the real world and I have no clue what's going on. But despite that, I can tell we're not gonna find Otonashi at the place you just mentioned."

"Same here," Chaa added. "I can't just let Natsumi-chan bleed out like this. She needs medical attention, pronto."

Hiroto looked down at Iwasawa's still form and watched as she breathed softly. Chaa watched the boy's eyes and sensed he was thinking about something deeply personal, presumably something that happened between him and the musician. The expression looked so _intimate_...

Finally, Hiroto looked at Chaa, Naoi, and Fujimaki. "Fine," he said. "We'll go get help."

"Awesome!" Fujimaki replied with relief. "Now, you said you were here before. Which is closer? The Tokyo Police HQ? Or a hospital?"

Hiroto stared at him before replying, "I believe the Tokyo Police HQ is closer..."

"Alright, then! Let's get our asses over there, quick!" Fujimaki stared at the van and the police car in turn. "Do you think we'll be able to take either car?"

Chaa followed the other boy's stare and shook his head. "Nah. They don't look like they're in tip-top condition for driving. We'll have to get there on foot." He looked at Naoi and realized he was wearing a hospital gown. "Naoi, do you have any actual clothes besides that?"

"Y-Yeah," the green-haired boy replied. "Th-They're in the car."

"Then go get dressed. And be quick."

Naoi nodded and sprinted back to the police cruiser to retrieve his attire. It only took a couple of minutes for him to put his signature clothing back on, including his Mao cap. Once Naoi returned to his friends, Chaa carefully adjusted Natsumi in his arms before breaking into a mad sprint down the street. He heard Hiroto and Naoi joining his sides, while Fujimaki was trailing behind him. As the boys continued to run, they heard the familiar sounds of police sirens approaching from a distance.

"Hey!" Chaa looked at Hiroto. "So which way's the Tokyo Police HQ?!"

"I...I'm not sure..." the other boy replied.

"_What_?! I thought you said you were here before!"

"I know I did, but I don't remember much of it! J-Just give me a moment to recognize the names of the streets!"

Pretty soon, the quartet of boys passed an empty intersection, allowing Hiroto to read the street markers. As soon as he spotted one particular street marker, he abruptly turned right.

"Come on, guys!" he called. "This way!"

"You'd better know which way to go next!" Chaa replied.

"Hey, don't give me any crap, man! In case you didn't notice, I don't want Iwasawa to die on me, alright?! I'm trying my goddamn hardest!" Just then, Hiroto noticed another street marker. "We go left now!"

As the group made another turn on the sidewalk, a devious, toothy grin suddenly crept upon Fujimaki's face, which went unnoticed by the others.

_"Perfect..."_ he thought. _"Keep running, you idiots. Just keep on running...into my trap!"_

* * *

**Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo**

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Kuramoto stepped on the brakes, and the police cruiser skidded to a stop before it could strike Chaa's van. Once it came to a stop, Fukuyama and Kuramoto opened their doors and quickly got out of their seats. At the same time, a half-dozen other police cars stopped behind hers. The policewoman ran up to the van and looked inside.

"Oh, no..." she said. "Hey, Kuramoto! Call the forensics team! We've got blood inside this vehicle!"

"Gotcha," Kuramoto replied as he inspected the wrecked car. He saw the discarded hospital gown in the driver's seat and picked it up for Fukuyama to see. "Well, it looks like Ukiyo was here."

"He can't be far. I doubt he knows how to hijack a car. But the real question is..." She glanced at the van. "Whose van is this?"

"It's gotta be Takahashi." Kuramoto joined her side and inspected the inside of the van. "We haven't seen hide nor hair of him since yesterday, and..." He yawned loudly. "He's _always_ been a troublemaker..."

Fukuyama stared at the lower-ranked officer. She wanted to reprimand him yet again for his exhaustion, but she quickly realized he likely had been at the receiving end of one too many already. Instead, she gently placed a hand on his right shoulder, catching his attention.

"Kuramoto, go take a nap."

"Wh-What?" The man stared at her, bewildered. "B-But-"

She shook her head. "It's alright. I think you've done enough for tonight."

"Oh, thank frigging God!"

Kuramoto rushed off for their cruiser, leaving behind Fukuyama. Once she was all alone, she looked inside the van again as other officers taped the area off and swept it for clues. While scanning the interior, Fukuyama raised her eyebrows as she noticed the droplets of blood forming a trail that led out of the open door.

"Huh..."

Fukuyama procured her flashlight and aimed it at the trail. She followed it onto the asphalt street and realized that it was going deeper into Kasumigaseki.

"H-Hey, Fukuyama!" The woman looked over her shoulder and saw Kuramoto approaching her again, Fuuta's old hospital gown still in his hand. "H-Here. I don't wanna risk contaminating this-"

"Thank you, Kuramoto," Fukuyama interrupted quickly, "but before you do that, I need you to get some officers busy on that trail of blood down there."

"Trail of blood...?" Kuramoto looked down and saw the blood droplets. "Ohhhhh, yeah... _That_ trail of blood..." He yawned. "On it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that marks the end of this chapter! As you can see, this chapter doesn't focus on Otonashi, Kanade, and their group at any point and instead revolves around getting caught up with some of the teams that haven't been attended to in a while. It looks like things are continuing to heat up, and the action is beginning to center on the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters!
> 
> Anyway, I wasn't too pleased with how this chapter turned out, even though it fulfilled everything in my checklist. I guess it's because I wasn't too good with pacing this specific chapter, because it definitely felt all over the place. I guess this is what happens when I don't write for this fic in a bit of a while again. Hopefully that'll be rectified by the next chapter.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	31. Will the Real You Please Stand Up?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 29: WILL THE REAL YOU PLEASE STAND UP?**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - ** _ **Post-Afterlife Name** _

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Takamatsu - _Takayoshi Asahara_

Yusa - _Rikana Egami_

Ōyama - _Hozumi Karubo_

Takeyama - _Touya Hamada_

TK - _Tyler Kendall_

Matsushita - _Mutsuto Fujikawa_

Eri Shiina - _C_

* * *

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

_ **SECONDARY_RESPONSE_PROTOCOL_REQUESTED** _

* * *

**Chouko Hashimoto?**

A lone girl with silver hair and golden eyes sat atop a tall cliff. Water as gray as the gloomy, cloudy sky crashed into the jagged rocks below. All that could be seen ahead was a vast, lifeless realm of water.

The girl looked down at her lap and slowly held out her hands. She examined every wrinkle and crease in her fair, pearly skin. The more she looked at her palms, the more she could vaguely make out feathery wings, formed by all the wrinkles and creases...

**_"Whatever your presence did to me, it made me unable to live up to his expectations! No matter what he expected from me, I could never quite fulfill it, not at a hundred percent. That...That _has_ to be what drove him so mad that he decided to do the things he did!"_**

_ **"I...I could've done more to help him...b-but...I...I ** _ **killed ** _ **him! I killed him... I'm a ** _ **murderer** _ **...just like him..."** _

_ **"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE MY PSYCHIATRIST! YOU HAVE ** _ **NO RIGHT** _ **! YOU'RE JUST A STUPID, SICK LITTLE GIRL WHO IS STUCK IN MY MIND! YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME AT ALL!"** _

_ **"...That father is still dead! The one who cared for me and nurtured me, he shared the same life as the one who wished to attack Japan with nuclear bombs. And now he's dead! He went mad and now he's dead... All because of you..."** _

Chouko Hashimoto lowered her hands and gradually inched her head upward. As she gazed upon the silver ocean before her, she heaved out a remorseful sigh.

* * *

**Remnants of Hashimoto Manor**

"Ugh... Where the hell..._am_ I...?"

Matsushita's eyelids fluttered open, and the first thing he saw was a clear, starry sky. For a quick moment, the teenager felt detached from the world and all of reality, his psyche completely absorbed by the beautiful sight. It reminded him of his first day in the Afterlife...

_"Wait a minute..."_

The energy returned to his body instantaneously, allowing the stocky boy to sit up and look around. To his relief, he was not alone; other teenagers were with him, some of whom looked _vaguely familiar_...

"Wh-What happened here...?" he asked worriedly.

A number of faces turned towards him, and Matsushita barely suppressed a gasp. Now he knew why some of the people with him looked so familiar.

"_Otonashi_?!" he exclaimed, his eyes zeroing in on the redheaded boy first. "What the hell?! Why're you here?!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Otonashi replied, holding up his palms. "Calm down, Fujikawa-"

"Fujikawa? Wh-Who the hell's _Fujikawa_?"

At that moment, a petite, silver-haired girl walked up to Matsushita, her face blank. Though her hair was cut and she was wearing different clothes, Matsushita recognized her immediately.

"Whoa, Angel!" he cried while the girl leaned her face in to survey his face. "Wh-What're you doing? You're a lil' too close there-"

"It's Matsushita," Kanade interrupted. "He's returned."

"Uh, _excuse me_?" Matsushita stood up and proudly straightened out his shirt. "It's Matsushita the Fifth...and still no one has answered my question!"

"It's a bit of a long story, man," Otonashi replied.

"Heh, yeah?" Matsushita crossed his arms and gave him an impatient frown. "Try me."

Then, at the corner of his eye, he noticed a person lying motionlessly on the ground. He looked down out of curiosity and saw Hisako and Miyuki Irie attending to...

"I-Is that _Shiina_?!"

"It is," Otonashi replied.

"Holy crap... And Hisako and Irie too..." Matsushita looked around. "What the hell's up with this bull? Why the hell are we all here?!"

Just then, Kanade approached his side and he started whispering into her air. She nodded a few times before whispering back into his own ear. Quickly noticing this, Matsushita attempted to eavesdrop on their conversation as discreetly as he possibly could. However, the stocky boy had a hard time even getting used to his own body, so he instead examined the rest of his informal group.

Along with Otonashi, Kanade, Shiina, Hisako, and Miyuki, Matsushita recognized Yuri, Hinata, Yui, Noda, Takamatsu, and Shiori. However, he sensed something off with Yuri and Takamatsu; perhaps it had something to do with how their eyes looked. On top of all that, there was an unfamiliar boy in their presence; he bore a slight resemblance to Otonashi, with red hair and similarly normal clothes as well.

Eventually, Otonashi and Kanade nodded at each other in unison before facing Matsushita.

"Okay," Kanade said. "We'll tell you everything. Trust us when we say this, Matsushita. You're not going to believe what's going on right now."

"And trust me when I say try me," Matsushita replied confidently. "So fill me in with everything you've got."

* * *

"You're right. I don't believe what the hell's going on."

"Well, believe it or not, that's what's happening right now."

Matsushita sat down beside the dead, dried rose groves. He looked down at the soil with disbelief, his eyes shimmering.

"I don't mean it _literally_, Otonashi," he replied. "It's...It's just...I thought we were all supposed to move on..."

"Apparently, fate had other plans for us," Noda said while resting his forehead in his palm.

The stocky boy looked up flatly. "Wow. Noda got a little philosophical on us. This really _is_ some serious shit."

"Ya want a machete between your squinted lil' eyes?"

Matsushita made a dismissive wave. "Aaaaannnnnddddd there's the Noda we all know and hate."

"Okay, come on, guys," Otonashi said, stepping in-between the other two boys. "Let's not fight. Things are tense enough as it is-"

"Well, _he_ started it," Noda interrupted, pointing his blade at Matsushita's direction. Then, he suddenly grimaced, but this went unnoticed by the others.

"Okay, _enough_, you guys," Hinata said sternly while stepping between the machete-wielding boy and the stocky boy. "We have _way_ bigger things to worry about."

"Yes, yes, you're right," Matsushita replied. "S-Sorry. So..." He looked around. "Where do we start?"

"Well, for starters," said Otonashi, "we're not gonna wait around for C...o-or Shiina to wake up." He glanced at a certain trail, which was glittering with blood droplets. "That trail goes back to the mansion, which means Fujimaki's reincarnated self must've taken Iwasawa and Sekozawa to the van."

"And we left Chazawa and Natsumi in there," Kimiko concluded gravely.

"So that means he needs a vehicle to reach his destination," said Hisako. "And _that_ means-"

"There's nothing important _here_." The magenta-haired girl sat down. "This mansion was a red herring. A waste of time."

"It wasn't a waste of time, Nishimura," Asahara replied. "We have narrowed down the list of potential locations the cult is likely to be at. There's still reason to have hope."

"But we don't have a car or any other places the cult is likely to meet at! We...We've got _nothing_!"

"That's not true," Otonashi said.

"Oh, really?" Kimiko spat. She turned around and marched up to Otonashi, her face exhibiting unshakable anger. "We're down a bunch of people, that damn cult is minutes, perhaps _seconds_ away from achieving their master plan, my siblings are still in their clutches, and we're all the way back to fucking square one! All because we _had_ to put our faith in one of your friends who was reincarnated into a psycho maniac!"

Asahara crossed his arms. "But _you_ were the one who assigned the groups," he replied bitterly.

Kimiko glared at him angrily. "No one asked for your opinion!"

"Look, Kimiko-" began Otonashi.

"Don't you get all informal with me!" Kimiko stomped down her foot. "I am not your friend! The other me is your friend! I am tired of being confused with her!" She clutched her magenta hair. "It makes me sick, sick, sick! Sick _and_ tired! So-So don't you dare try to suck up to me, do you hear me, Yuzuru Otonashi?!"

"I wasn't confusing you with Yuri-"

"Oh, isn't _that_ a comfort?! Well, I _really_ don't like how you treat me like I'm her! I only kept you and your friends around because you guys had a bunch of crazy skills and you all sounded like you know what you're doing! But I don't want you or _any_ of you to be friendly with me! This isn't one of your operations! This is real life and my siblings are gonna DIE any second now! All because..." By this point, tears were pouring from Kimiko's eyes. "I...I _screwed up_!"

"You _didn't_ screw up, Kimiko," Otonashi replied. "We just had a setback, that's all." He clasped her shoulders, prompting her to look deeply into his burgundy eyes. "And we can _definitely_ recover from it. Operation: Groundhog Day is still a go. All we have to do is plan a new course of action."

"Yeah, well..." The magenta-haired girl broke away from his grasp. "Do _you_ have any ideas? 'C-Cause...I've got none..."

"I do," Kanade said suddenly.

Kimiko rolled her eyes. "Oh, really? And that is?"

Kanade turned towards Otonashi. "Otonashi, do you remember the Shadows?"

"Who doesn't?" the redhead replied. "Why?"

"We need to treat every member of the cult as if they were absorbed by the Shadows."

"I-I'm sorry," Asahara interrupted. "B-But I'm not following..."

"In the Afterlife, the Shadows are a counterbalancing force, almost like white blood cells. Whenever there is too much of something, they absorb all potential sources of that something and convert them into something nonthreatening. Back in the Afterlife, that excess was love, and the Shadows tried to restore the balance by absorbing humans and turning them into NPCs that don't exhibit any emotion whatsoever."

"I don't understand, Kanade," Otonashi replied. "This isn't the Afterlife."

"Yes, these situations are incomparable on the surface level. But I've been thinking about it for a little while, and I think I may have reached a conclusion."

"What conclusion?"

"Think about it, Otonashi. If you go past the surface level, you'd realize that the Shadows and the cult are operating with similar modus operandi. The Shadows literally absorb potential dangers and convert them into nonthreatening NPCs. The cult's ideology absorbs nonthreatening people like Fujimaki's reincarnated form and the family of Yui's reincarnated form, and converts them into real dangers through the process of indoctrination."

Otonashi blinked slowly, and his brow furrowed. "I-I still don't understand. You basically just described two scenarios that are the complete opposites of each other. That's not being similar-"

He was cut off when Kanade faced Kimiko. "Nishimura," she said, "do you remember when did the cult first appeared?"

"Wh-Wha...?" Kimiko replied absentmindedly.

"When did they first appear in the news? When did their crimes begin?"

"W-Well...they've been a thing for, I don't know, four or five years, b-but they only started killing people in January."

"January... Of this year?"

Kimiko blinked with surprise. "Wh-What other year would I be talking about?"

"Kanade, I don't understand-" began Otonashi.

"It's just as I suspected," Kanade said, almost to herself. "There was no way any of this could've been a coincidence..."

"What do you _mean_ coincidence, Kanade?!"

"Otonashi...it's just as Matsushita said." The silver-haired girl scanned the entire group. "We _all_ should've moved on. We should be regarding each other as strangers, not as friends. But we're not. One by one, the SSS is returning. It won't be long until every last one of us has taken control of the bodies we've been reincarnated into."

"Yes, which is why we have to find a way to rectify it, once we're done saving Japan." Then, Otonashi broke into a small sweat. "And we probably should scratch that off our list quick. Who knows what might happen if the Angel Player gets a hold of what's happening down here-"

"But what if it already has?"

Otonashi blinked. "Huh...?"

"Think about it. The only reason everyone's returning is because of what that cult is doing."

"Which is quite unfortunate, mind you," Matsushita butted in.

"Th-That's impossible, Kanade," replied Otonashi. "What does the Angel Player or those freakin' Shadows have to do with the cult?"

Kanade looked at Hinata, startling him. "Hinata," she said, "do you remember when I told you your reincarnated self was the first of us to start tapping into your memories?"

"Yeah...?" the blue-haired boy replied hesitantly.

"Well, he started documenting his experiences in an online forum, searching for answers. He started doing so...at around the same time the cult began their crime spree."

"It's probably just a coincidence-"

"We have to _think_ about this, you guys." She scanned her group again. "Think about what's happened and try calling it a coincidence."

"Okay, so..." Hinata's brow furrowed in consideration and Yui mimicked his actions. "Are...Are you saying my ac- I mean, _Naotatsu's_ posts jump-started this whole thing?"

"Yes." Kanade's eyes narrowed. "The Angel Player must've sensed a reincarnated person was regaining their memories of the Afterlife and viewed it as a threat. But somehow it couldn't pinpoint who exactly that person was. Perhaps Naotatsu's memories were so fragmented and incomplete that he was only accepting them as the truth on a subconscious level. Or perhaps the Angel Player's abilities are inhibited by the real world. Either way, if it already knew what exactly was behind the anomaly, Naotatsu's memories would've been purged a long time ago, and we all wouldn't be here."

"Purged memories," Hinata remarked before shuddering suddenly. "Sounds like it'd be a nasty experience for me...or for Naotatsu, to be exact..."

"W-Wait a minute, Kanade," Otonashi said, his voice shaky with disbelief, "are...are you saying the _Angel Player_ is behind everything that's been happening?"

"That _has_ to be the reason behind everything, Otonashi," replied Kanade. "It's been over 24 hours and only two people in our group have yet to regain their memories of the Afterlife."

"Ahem..." a voice suddenly piped up.

"Oh," Hisako said while staring upon Royama's recovering form with disappointment. "You're not dead."

"Glad to see you guys too..." Royama replied flatly.

"But what do the Shadows have to do with the cult, Kanade?" Otonashi asked, ignoring the latest exchange.

"The members of the cult," Kanade said. "They're all possessed by Shadows."

"_What_?!"

This time, Otonashi was joined by the rest of the SSS.

"I _still_ don't understand," Asahara replied. "I thought you said the Shadows convert people into non-threats. What you're describing sounds like the opposite."

"Perhaps it is," Kanade said gravely. "There is so much of the Angel Player that I never had the time to understand." She activated one of her Hand Sonic blades and gazed at it. "My abilities, they're only a small fraction of what the program is capable of..." She deactivated the weapon. "If the Shadows could turn people into things the program would not perceive as a threat, then certainly they can be programmed to do the opposite."

"But how would the Angel Player come into the real world in the first place?" Hinata asked. "It's a part of the Afterlife. H-How would it be able to leave that place and interact with the real world?"

"I...I don't know..." Kanade lowered her head slightly in rumination. "But the Angel Player _has_ to be behind it. Everything that has happened to us is not natural. It certainly wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for the Angel Player to be at fault somehow."

Otonashi clenched his fists in anger. "But...But I don't understand. Why would the Angel Player do something like this? It is supposed to help people move on in the Afterlife! Does it not know what kind of horrors it's wreaking upon all of these innocent people?!"

"It's the Angel Player's only viable way of luring us out," Kanade explained. "It could not pinpoint the source of the threat beyond a broad geographical approximation, nor did it determine how widespread it might be. So, to circumvent its limits and perform its functions, the Angel Player does the next best thing: create a scenario of extreme, widespread peril that increases with every passing day. Then, it keeps an eye on the citizens of Tokyo as the inevitable panic sets in, and goes on the lookout for anyone whose reactions are out of the ordinary."

"In other words, us... But instead, the scenario it's orchestrating is only leading to more SSS members regaining all their memories, making the threat even worse in the program's eyes. A cycle of escalating danger." Otonashi gritted his teeth. "So, the Angel Player _must_ be behind this..."

"W-Wa-Wait a minute," Hinata said. "A-Are you saying this entire mess is...is _our fault_?"

"No, Hinata," Otonashi replied consolingly. "_None of this_ was our fault."

"B-But we're all here! We somehow broke out of our reincarnated identities and we remember everything that happened to us in the Afterlife! Because of that, the Angel Player is endangering this whole country while trying to weed us out!"

"That's the thing, Hinata. We _wanted_ to move on." Otonashi scanned the entire group. "All of us. We left without regrets. But for some reason, we fell victim to forces that were much more powerful than the Angel Player. But now, we're gonna fix what happened. We're gonna stop the Angel Player and we're gonna move on properly this time."

"And what if you run into a dead end?" a new voice asked. Everyone turned their heads towards the new speaker, even Kanade, who had just been shaken out of a cursory state of absentmindedness.

"What d'you mean, Kimiko?" Kanade replied, her voice wavering slightly.

The magenta-haired girl crossed her arms and gave them an irritated scowl. "What if your theory's wrong and you're all just chasing your tails, wasting time while my sisters and brother continue to suffer?!"

"No one is going to suffer, Kimiko. We'll make sure of that."

"Yeah? Then why aren't you freaks doing something about it, huh?! Tell me! What use do these Shadow thingies have for our search?!"

"We have to remember how we stopped the Shadows the last time."

"Oh, yeah," Hinata replied. "Didn't Yuri track down a whole bunch of stolen computers deep in the Guild and then destroy them?"

"Yes. Therefore, we have to assume we're in a similar situation unless proven otherwise."

"But we don't even know where the hell we should start," Noda said while rubbing his forehead.

"Maybe not, but we can narrow down our options." Kanade gazed at the ruins of the Hashimoto Manor. "Chouko's father is no longer in the picture, and the cult clearly isn't here, so there's no reason to assume this place is of any significance to them. At least not anymore."

"And Hashimoto's company headquarters is swarming with cops," Otonashi added. "It'd be too risky for them to go back. So that leaves...what?"

"Our theory was that the cult would have to hide their nukes in the last place anyone would expect," Asahara explained. "A location so unexpected that the police didn't bother to check it."

"Okay, then," Kimiko replied, turning towards the bespectacled boy. "What do you think it is, then?"

Asahara looked at her with bewilderment. "Wh-What?!" he sputtered. "Wh-Why are you asking _me_?!"

"You're the one with the vendetta against the cult. You tell me."

"Yeah!" Noda exclaimed. "You are like the rough, weathered badass in all the zombie movies! You should know your stuff about those freaks, more than anyone!"

"W-Well, I-I don't think I know more than any of you-"

"You have to _think_, Asahara," Otonashi said encouragingly. "You're the one with the biggest drive out of all of us."

The boy blinked apprehensively. "Well, I...I-"

"Asahara," said Kimiko with a glinting sea-green eye, "you said you made it your life's mission to avenge your father and defeat the cult. You swore on your honor, and that of your family's, that you'd follow me to the ends of the Earth without question."

Asahara lowered his head bashfully. "I-I was just tr-trying to sound badass..."

"Dude," Royama said, shaking his head disbelieving, "you told us your dad was killed by those crazies. Are you telling us you didn't spend your days venting at them? Researching everything you can about them so you can have your revenge when the opportunity presents itself?"

"Of course I did do those things!"

"Then why the hell are you being so meek and submissive right now?! If you have anything, _anything_ that you think may be important, then by all means, share it with us! Fire away!" Royama then clasped his hands over his face. "Goddamn it all, this day just will _not_ end..."

"But I don't know of any other location in Tokyo that would be significant to the cult! I've...I've got nothing! If the police are close to cracking down on them, then they've got nowhere else to go!"

"We're thinking about all of this wrong," Kanade suddenly said.

"What're you talking about, Kanade?" Hinata asked.

"All this time, we've been thinking about the cult as a group of madmen following an insane cause."

"Which they are," interjected Royama.

"No. That's what Chouko's father _wanted_ us to believe. Underneath the whole facade is a complex operation arranged by a group of psychopathic businessmen. Members of the high class. Chouko's kind."

"Which means...?" asked Yui.

"We need to stop thinking the cult as a bunch of mentally disturbed people who know nothing else in life, and instead as a massive fraud scheme."

"Okay..." Otonashi replied. "Which leaves us...where?"

"I'm not sure."

"Oh." Royama rolled his eyes. "Just great. The ones who're supposed to have all the answers actually have none. What a great twist."

"Hey!" Otonashi snapped as he glared at his fellow redhead. "If you have nothing to contribute to the discussion, then do us all a favor and shut your mouth! Kanade's trying her best!"

"On a first-name basis, huh?" Royama muttered to himself while turning his back on the others. "I see, I see..."

"Hey, I heard that."

Suddenly, Otonashi heard Kanade sigh, prompting him to look at her. Then, she spoke up.

"Otonashi, I have to speak with Chouko."

"_Chouko_?" Otonashi's eyes narrowed with concern. "Are you sure about that, Kanade?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Can't you just enter her memories and find something useful to us?"

"My access to her memories is very limited. There is only so much I can glean from her experiences. Plus..." She turned her head and faced the starry horizon. "I feel like a voyeur doing such a thing to her mental reserves. I do not have any right to use her memories that way, even if it's for a good cause. I...I have to be forthcoming to her. I will let her know of the situation, and I hope she'll have forgiven me by then."

"Di-Didn't you guys just-?" began Otonashi.

"I know we left on bad terms during our last interaction..." interrupted Kanade. "The chances of her not wanting to speak to me are very high...and I can't blame her. But...I have to try. The fate of this country depends on it."

"And how exactly are you gonna be able to reach her?" Hisako asked, while Miyuki and Shiori nodded in agreement. "We haven't figured out a way to access the identities of our reincarnated selves at will."

"Yes, we have. ...Sort of." Kanade faced Otonashi again. "I need you to knock me out. Cold."

Otonashi felt like he was struck by a tsunami. "WHOA, WHOA, _WHAT_?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

"All of our interactions with our reincarnated selves have taken place in our subconscious." A certain glimmer passed her golden eyes. "Which means I have to be sleeping...or in a similar state."

"And we don't have any time for you to fall asleep," Otonashi concluded. Then, after cursing under his breath...he raised the butt of his gun. "I...I never thought I'd have to do this to you..."

Kanade smiled faintly. "Hey. Consider it...payback for the time I stabbed you."

Otonashi chuckled dryly as he flashed back to their first meeting. "Okay, then." He aimed his weapon. "Ju-Just don't stab me again after you wake up. I really will die this time, you know."

"I know." Then, the silver-haired girl took a deep breath, flexed her fingers, and closed her eyes. "Okay. I'm ready."

There was a tense silence as everyone closely watched the scene. Otonashi started to sweat nervously, thinking about all the ways this strategy could go abysmally wrong. But as he stood there, with his gun raised high in the air, he looked at the ever-tranquil face of the girl he loved...and deep down in his heart, he knew nothing could go wrong. Especially when she was concerned.

With that, he brought the gun down like a club...and struck her in the forehead.

Everyone watched as Kanade fell to the ground in a rather comedic way. Her form was still, and none of them could even see any signs of twitching. Otonashi awkwardly stood over the girl's prone body, frozen in position, gun still raised.

Then, after a few seconds...

"Hey, you guys got any food, by any chance?" Matsushita asked. "I'm freaking _starving_."

* * *

**Chouko Hashimoto?**

The field of sunflowers was gone; instead, it was a rocky, barren incline ending in a ledge. Clouds still obscured the blue, tranquil sky, but they weren't as gray as before and looked like they were about to recede. It was no longer raining, and the cool air felt soothing on the skin.

For a long moment, Kanade stood over the cliff-side and gazed upon the churning silver waters below. Then, she looked beside her and saw Chouko sitting at the ledge, just a couple of inches away, her golden eyes lifeless. Without a second thought, Kanade sat down beside her reincarnated counterpart and scooted closer to her. She didn't hear any resistance from her.

"Hello, Chouko," Kanade greeted.

Chouko didn't respond.

"Chouko...I know you don't want to talk to me, but...I need your help."

Still, there was no response. Kanade sighed.

"Look...I...I can't even _begin_ to imagine the pain you're feeling right now. What you've gone through in the past twenty-four hours...all the betrayal, all the loss...all the agony...this surpasses all the suffering I went through when I was alive."

She heard a soft sigh coming out of Chouko's mouth. It was a start, Kanade believed.

"And..."

** _"IT'S YOUR FAULT HE WENT MAD!"_ **

** _"How is it my fault, Chouko? From what I learned, your father had been planning his scheme for years. You and I did nothing to contribute to that."_ **

** _"BUT HE WAS NEVER LIKE THAT BEFORE! HE WAS ONCE A CARING FATHER, A DEVOTED FATHER!"_ **

"And you were right, Chouko," Kanade said with conviction. "It _was_ my fault...that your father went mad-"

"No, it wasn't..." Chouko suddenly replied. Kanade looked at her and saw the downtrodden glimmer in her eyes. "I'm so sorry for snapping at you earlier. It wasn't your fault, Kanade. While you were gone, I've done some reflection, and I've now come to a crucial conclusion."

At that point, Kanade registered the flat, robotic tone in Chouko's voice.

"It was _my_ fault. I failed my father. I failed him as a daughter. I should've been stronger. I should've held onto his ideals of an everlasting business." The corner of Chouko's lips twitched in a succinct smile. "I should never have tried to pursue silly concepts such as individuality-"

"Don't talk like that, Chouko," interrupted Kanade. "Those weren't your father's ideals to begin with."

"It's okay, Kanade." Chouko looked at her with a small smile of defeat. "You don't have to accept responsibility anymore. That was my duty and my duty alone. And now...as a Hashimoto...and the last of my lineage...I admit full culpability for my father's actions-"

"_Chouko_." Kanade's voice was stern and terse. "It was _my_ fault."

Chouko blinked slowly, and Kanade could see her own golden eyes becoming shinier.

"Kanade," Chouko said, "I no longer blame you for what happened. Please, do not feel indebted to me."

"Chouko, whatever your father fed you these past few months, those were never his ideas to begin with. You have _got_ to understand, outside forces have been pulling the strings for a long while. _Otherworldly_ forces...and _I_ helped set them in motion." Kanade grasped Chouko's shoulders. "_Please_, Chouko... There is no one to blame for all this horror and tragedy but me."

Chouko stared at Kanade for a moment, almost in disbelief. Then, she took a deep breath and shook her head, as if she was trying to deflect Kanade's very words from penetrating her mind.

"No," she said gently. "No, no, no... You mustn't blame yourself, Kanade-"

"I am _not_ blaming myself, Chouko," Kanade interrupted. "I am accepting responsibility for everything that's happened to you."

"You are _not_ at fault-"

"I _am_, Chouko. You see, your father was brainwashed."

"No, you..." Chouko's voice trailed off for a moment before she recomposed herself. "W..._What_...?"

"My presence, and those of my friends, have triggered a response protocol from the Afterlife, the place we came from. It has been in action since January of this year, and it involved brainwashing people into orchestrating a situation that was designed to lure me and my friends out of our reincarnated selves. Once we're all out, this response protocol will try and purge us out of existence, in order to maintain balance between the real world and the Afterlife. I just figured it out, and we're gonna try and stop it from inflicting a lot of collateral damage."

Kanade's grip on Chouko's shoulders relaxed. "I...I know all of this is a little tough to swallow, Chouko," she continued, "but this is the truth. _None of this_ was your fault. And you were right. Your father was a caring, devoted father. In fact, h-he always was. But because of me, because of my presence in your mind, he changed." Kanade detached her hands from Chouko's skin. "You were right to blame me before, Chouko. All of this _was_ my fault. And I...I'm sorry. I'm...I'm so sorry..."

Kanade lowered her head and shut her eyes. "You're a good person, Chouko! A wonderful person with a wonderful family and a wonderful life! A life I could never hope to achieve in my lifetime!" Tears started to leak out from Kanade's eyelids. "And I ruined all of that! If it weren't for me, y-you would never _be_ in this position!" She started to weep as the reality of the situation dawned upon her. "Why you?! Why did it have to be you?! It-It should _never_ have been you! I wish it wasn't you, or anyone else! B-But it _had_ to be you!"

"P-Please don't cry, Kanade," Chouko replied. The other silver-haired girl was taken aback by Kanade's sudden confession and subsequent sobbing. "I-It wasn't your fault. It was mine..."

"No, it wasn't!" Kanade opened her eyes, unleashing all of the tears that were being held back. "_I_ put you in this horrible situation! _Me_! You never had a choice in the matter!"

Chouko grabbed Kanade and hugged her. "No, Kanade!" she wailed. "It was _my_ fault! I wasn't strong enough to notice! If what you're saying is the truth, then..." Tears started to flow from her own eyes. "Then I failed to protect my father... My family..." Memories of Fuuta and Junna flashed across her mind, memories she never thought she'd be ever fond of. "I've failed my entire family! I am a disgrace to the Hashimoto name!"

In the seconds that followed, Kanade was startled by the almost impromptu hug she received from her reincarnated self. However, after a quick moment of consideration, the silver-haired girl returned it, and both girls sat on the high, jagged ledge, embracing each other as the foamy, silver waters below continued churning below them. A faint sense of warmth was started to seep into the environment, gradually easing the tenseness in the air.

"No, Chouko..." sobbed Kanade. "_I_ failed you... I should've moved on, but now...I'm still here...and I've taken over your life in such horrible, intrusive ways... It wasn't fair of me to do so... I should've just been you and you only, but I'm still me..." She buried her face into Chouko's clothed shoulder. "If anyone should be a disgrace, it should be me!"

Chouko broke the hug and stared at her past self with teary eyes. "No, Kanade! Please, please don't blame yourself! I...I am at fault here, and no one else!" She shut her eyes. "You never had a choice on what your next life should be like! You could've been anyone but me! You could've had a happier, more normal life! You should've had such a life! I-Instead, you became me, and my spirit was weak! I-I let all of this spiritual, supernatural nonsense get to my head, and-and now I've triggered your return, and-and you're now involved in this situation, all because of me!"

"Ch-Chouko-" Kanade tried in vain.

"I'm so, so sorry I admonished you!" Chouko wailed. "I...I should never have blamed you for all of this in the first place!" She gripped Kanade's sleeves. "And I should _never_ have gotten you involved. This was my dilemma to resolve, but all of this has now been heaved onto your shoulders! It should never have been so! I'm...I'm a terrible reincarnation! No, I am more than terrible, I am unforgivably, inherently inadequate!" She hugged Kanade again. "C-Ca-Can...Can y-y-you e-ev-ever fo-fo-for-g-g-give me, Ka-Kan-Kanade?!"

_"She blames herself as much as I blame myself,"_ Kanade thought tearfully, as she absorbed all of Chouko's sobs. _"She... She has a point... I had no control over who I would be reincarnated into-"_

_"Just as much as I had no control over who my past life would be,"_ completed Chouko as her sobs began to subside.

Upon hearing Chouko's thoughts, Kanade broke the hug again. Just like her, Chouko was wearing a surprised, befuddled expression. The crying had subsided quickly.

"We..." began Chouko.

"We can hear each other's thoughts..." Kanade completed.

Chouko sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Well...of course. I'm your reincarnation. We're one and the same..."

Below the two silver-haired girls, the churning waters finally started to calm down. The noises of roaring, crashing waves were reduced to sloshing, squelching liquid. Sunlight was finally breaking through the gray clouds.

"We're one...and the same..." repeated Kanade.

"Yes..." Chouko replied obliviously as she wiped the last of the tears from her cheeks. "That's right..."

_ **"My life...My life was extended because...because of the beautiful, kind heart you gave me. Even now your heart is beating here. I feel it beating right here in my chest. My only regret is that I was unable...to thank the person who gave me my youth. I wanted to express my gratitude. That was my feeling. The lingering feeling that made me...wander into this world."** _

_"There's no way any of this could've been a coincidence..."_

Kanade smiled. "I see now..."

"You see...what?" Chouko asked, surprised. "What do you see, Kanade?"

"Our lives...Our lives are linked by fate, Chouko. A fate greater than anything the Angel Player could ever comprehend..." Kanade placed a hand over her heart. "Do you remember...the news article that you read about me...?"

Chouko nodded.

** _"Before the transplantation, Kanade-chan was completely hopeless. After the terminal diagnosis, she desperately wanted to live. She no longer had any preoccupation with doing all of the things she missed out on her entire life; she just wanted to live. But by the New Year, she simply lost faith in that. My little Kanade-chan became so quiet, so hollow, so lifeless. She seemed to have already died in that period of time._ **

** _"Then all of that changed when Yuzuru Otonashi donated his heart. Since then, she became so happy, happier than she had been in ages, actually. We actually managed to take her out of the hospital to see the cherry blossoms bloom once. She always wanted to see that. I've never seen her so happy before in her life."_ **

"Wait..." Chouko said. Her golden eyes started widening as the realization dawned on her. "Wait a minute, are...are you saying...?"

"Yes," replied Kanade. "Otonashi's heart was my heart, even in my last days. And when I died, I took it with him to the Afterlife. It is a part of me, just as I am a part of you. And if I am a part of you..."

"Then Otonashi is a part of me..."

"And Otonashi is Takahashi. They're a part of each other, just like us, Chouko."

Chouko placed a hand over her heart. "The four of us...or should I say the _two_ of us...are bound together... Forever and always."

"Fate brought all of us together for a reason. A reason stronger than what the Angel Player is capable of. There is nothing any of us could've done to circumvent this. The crossroads have already been paved for us and it's been this way for God knows how long."

Kanade paused for a moment, then she clasped Chouko's hands. "I...I know this is very painful, Chouko. Indeed, this is a trying time. But we can resolve this together, Chouko. We can save this country from certain doom. We can avenge your friends, your mother, your father. They do not have to die in vain, Chouko. Fate has willed us to be together and we must take that responsibility. We must stand up to the cult together.

"But..." Kanade's grip relaxed. "I understand if you are still in pain, Chouko. I understand if you don't want to do this-"

"No," Chouko interrupted. Finally, her expression of agony had slackened into a look of utter serenity that basked in the fateful realization. "No, I understand now, Kanade. In fact..." A certain light appeared in her eyes. "I see now... It makes a lot of sense..."

She gently broke away from Kanade's grasp, stood up, and gazed longingly at the sea. More bright rays of sunlight were penetrating the mass of stormy clouds, slowly eradicating the grayness of the atmosphere and replacing it with a golden warmth.

"Do you remember when I first met Arata Takahashi?" Chouko asked.

Kanade nodded. "Yes. Yes, I do remember that."

"When I met him..." Chouko clasped her heart again. "When I first laid my eyes on him, Kanade, I felt a spark...a spark that I dismissed just as quickly as it came. I thought it was simply an unwanted emotion that had to be snuffed out, but it persisted and festered. Now that I have a stronger grasp of the situation, and why this is happening, I realize now that I should've known from the beginning...that meeting that our reunion was one arranged by the heavens..."

_ **"Greetings, my name is Chouko Hashimoto, heir to the Hashimoto business. It is a pleasure to meet all of you. I hope to spend the following week with you in positive spirits, and I do sincerely hope that all three of you bear with me as I observe and participate in your doings."** _

_ **"And I'm Arata Takahashi, nice to meet you, yeah."** _

_ **"I take it by that tone you're displeased at my presence?"** _

_ **"N-N-N-No..."** _

"This isn't just about me. It never was. This is about a greater series of events that were meant to lead up to this... This is something that's even more powerful than my father..."

A part of Kanade was expecting Chouko to be in complete anguish over something otherworldly that could overcome and supersede the hold her father had on her life. Thus, she was slightly surprised to see the tranquil smile developing on the face of her reincarnated self.

"He never had any control..." Chouko whispered, seemingly to herself. Then, she chuckled a little girl. "He...He never had any control... My life...it was never his to control in the first place." She clenched her fists. "This was never _his_ life. No. It never was and never will be. This is MY life!"

Kanade's heart skipped a beat with hope. "Then...will you help me, Chouko? Will you help me destroy the very thing that your own father created?"

There was a moment of hesitation, and Kanade feared Chouko may have had second doubts. Then, she heard her voice.

"Yes." Chouko flashed a small but kind smile. "I'll help you. If it means atoning for the failures of my father and avenging those who truly meant dear to me...then I will do it without a second thought. After all, if fate could deprive my father of the ability and opportunity to control my life, then I have to prove that my life is something that will always be out of his reach." She turned her head towards her. "Now then...what is it that you want me to do for you, Kanade?"

Kanade simply smiled back.

* * *

Otonashi and the others watched as Kanade's eyelids snapped open. The redhead sighed and prepared to say something when he noticed something peculiar.

"Ka-Kanade..." he said. "Y-Your eyes-"

"What about them?" replied Kanade as she sat up.

"They're...They're..."

"_Glowing_..." completed Kimiko.

"They are...?" Kanade tilted her head slightly. "I guess it's because I am now one with Chouko."

"W-Wa-Wait a minute, wh-wh-_what_?!" Otonashi exclaimed, his voice cracking.

"Hello, Yuzuru Otonashi," Kanade suddenly greeted.

At first, everyone was shocked by the sudden change in attitude on the part of the silver-haired girl. Then, Otonashi was quick to notice something off with her inflection.

"_Chouko_...?"

Chouko nodded. "Don't worry, Otonashi. We're alright now."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Noda cried, taking a couple of steps backward while wincing visibly. "Are-Are you telling me th-the two of you are...sharing _one body_?!"

"For a lack of a better term...yes." Chouko...or Kanade looked down at her hands. "We are pleased to inform you that we have reached an understanding with each other. Believe us, this result was the last thing on our minds, but I guess..."

The silver-haired girl suddenly materialized one of her Hand Sonic blades. It gleamed brightly from the moonlight, almost blinding anyone who dared to look directly at it. She then tilted it, making sure to survey it from all angles.

"When we made amends, our minds reached a harmonious synchronization of sorts and melded into one. We have equal control of this one body."

"Jeez," Hinata replied. "Two souls sharing one body and controlling it at the same time? That sounds freaking _difficult_."

"It's actually not as laborious as it sounds, Hinata." Kanade or Chouko looked at her friends. "Though I suppose it _would_ be a painful task to endure if both of you entered this state without the other's consent. You need to have resolved your differences and conflicts with your reincarnated self, whatever they may be."

"So..." Otonashi said, "I'm speaking to _both of you_? Kanade _and_ Chouko? At the same time?"

"Yes. I believe that's what two souls sharing one body means."

"_Okaaaaay_..." He blinked slowly. "So, let's say I want to speak to Kanade only. How is that gonna work out?"

"It cannot. Everything that you want to divulge to Kanade must also fall upon Chouko's ears. Even your deepest, darkest secrets." A poker-face suddenly entered the girl's facial expression. "Such as your lolicon tendencies."

Otonashi's face turned as red as a cherry. "Oh, come on, are we _seriously_ gonna revisit that?!"

"Well, you _were_ trying to kiss me while I was unconscious."

"For the last time, I was trying to apply CPR!"

"Ahhhhh, goddamn it..." Noda suddenly said, dispelling the friendly argument before it could escalate. His face was now contorted in an expression of pain as he processed the newest revelation. "I wish I was reincarnated into a smoking-hot babe now! That way I can share her body an- AGH! _Ohhhhh_..."

"Okay, I think I'm gonna stop you right there, Noda," Hisako deadpanned. She stared at the crumpling Noda while coolly rubbing her knuckles.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" Hinata said worriedly. "If we're talking to both Kanade and Chouko at the same time, and we cannot tell something to only one or the other, th-then what exactly do we call you?"

"Yeah," added Asahara. "I'm not gonna wrap my head around calling you either Kanade or Chouko at my whim."

"Ah, we see," Chouko or Kanade said. "We didn't really foresee any of this, so you bring up an interesting point." Kanade or Chouko rubbed her chin with her finger in thought before settling on a final decision. "I know. You can call us...Angel."

"Okay then, _Angel_," Kimiko suddenly responded, her voice low and serious. "Do you have anything useful for us? What'd you two talk about in there?"

The new girl, Angel, simply looked at her with a knowing expression.

* * *

**The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters**   
**Chiyoda, Tokyo**

"Uuuuuggggghhhhh..."

Chaa looked down at Natsumi, whose squirms were becoming softer and softer by the minute. "It's okay, Natsumi-chan!" he cried. "It's okay! We're almost there! Just hang in there!"

"Yu...riiiii..." the girl moaned.

"Y-Yuri?" For a moment, Chaa remembered his headstrong but courageous female leader. "Wh-Who's Yuri?"

"My..._cat_..."

Naoi looked over his shoulder as he kept running. "You have a _cat_?" he asked.

"Shit, that's right," Hiroto replied. "I didn't see it in the wreckage, though. Must've run off."

"Yuuuuu...rrrrriiiii..." Natsumi moaned again.

"It's alright!" Naoi replied consolingly as he looked ahead. "We'll find your cat later! For now, we just have to-"

Bright flashes of red and blue suddenly bombarded Naoi's eyes. Upon feeling his eyes strain, the boy squinted and used his elbow to block most of the lights. At the same time, he heard a voice shouting at him and his group.

"What are you kids doing out here?! There's a shelter-in-place order in effect for the entire city!"

"Go find some shelter NOW!" another voice barked.

Naoi's eyesight was quick to adjust, and he realized there was a massive barricade of police cars and cruisers in front of him and the others. He lowered his elbow and gestured to his companions.

"Officers!" he cried. "My-My friends need help right away! Please, help us!"

He saw the two officers look at one another. Then, they left their positions and were quickly accompanied by two others. One took Natsumi away from Chaa and held her in his arms, while another covered Hiroto and the unconscious Iwasawa with a blanket he brought along. None of the members of Naoi's group hesitated for even a second in following the police officers behind the perimeter of the barricade, even the suspicious-looking Fujimaki.

"Damn, what the hell _happened_ to you kids?" asked the officer escorting Chaa.

"We got into a car accident," Chaa replied bluntly.

"Okay," another officer snapped irritably, "what part of 'shelter-in-place order' do you guys not frigging understand?"

"Hey, we were unconscious for a while, alright?" retorted Naoi. Then, he raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute, wh-what do you mean by 'shelter-in-place'...?"

The officer escorting him stopped and shone a small flashlight into the boy's eyes, causing him to wince.

"Hmmm..." the man said suspiciously. "The crash must've done more than knock you out."

"We'll fill him in on the details later," another officer replied. "For now, we've gotta get these children to a hospital."

Fujimaki twitched abruptly, as if he was about to protest against the idea. However, before further action could be taken by him, the officer escorting Naoi spoke again.

"B-But where exactly are we gonna take them, Serge? All the closest hospitals are filled to the max with patients injured during the arson fires! Not to mention the chaos caused by the abruptness of the order." He then glared at Iwasawa and Natsumi. "And those two look like they need medical attention right away."

"It looks like we don't have any other choice, Sergeant," said the officer carrying Natsumi. "We'll have to take them all to HQ."

"HQ?!" exclaimed the sergeant.

"It's got a medical bay. We can take them there. I'll contact Inoue, tell him to keep some cells open for the kids-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Naoi suddenly exclaimed. "Y-You gonna _arrest_ us?!"

"Technically, you guys _are_ in violation of the shelter-in-place order-" began the sergeant.

"You've gotta be _kidding_ me!"

"No, Naoi," Fujimaki suddenly said. "It's...It's for the best..."

Naoi glared at the beady-eyed delinquent with disbelief. "Are you _serious_, Fujimaki?!"

"Hey, we wanted to go to the Tokyo Police HQ in the first place."

"Why, Naoi?" Chaa asked. "Is there a problem?"

Naoi opened his mouth and was about to say something, but then, he looked at the officer holding him. The man stared back at him with a suspicious expression. Realizing the officers hadn't caught onto him being wanted yet, Naoi decided to keep them in the dark about it.

"No..." he said. "There's no problem..."

"Okay, then!" the sergeant barked. "Get those kids over to HQ. We'll maintain the barricade here."

"Roger that, Serge," replied the officer carrying Natsumi. "If you see any of those cultists, give 'em hell."

With that, Naoi's group followed some of the officers towards the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters.

"Okay, kids," said the officer carrying Iwasawa. "Mind telling us what your names are?"

Hiroto and Chaa suddenly looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Panic quickly started to bubble up into their faces. But before the officers could pry any further, Naoi spoke up.

"I-I'm Naoi," he said. "Ayato Naoi. These are my friends, Chazawa, Sekozawa, and Fujimaki. The girls you're carrying are Iwasawa and...and-"

"Natsumi," Chaa piped up. "Sh-She's my little sister."

"Do you guys have any verifying identification on you?" another officer asked.

"N-No," replied Naoi through clenched teeth. "Damn, we must've left our IDs at the car."

"Okay, that's alright. You mind telling us where the accident happened?"

"Last Stop Apartments!" Fujimaki blurted out, as if it was on instinct.

"Last Stop _Apartments_? You kids saying you walked a couple dozen _blocks_ to get here?"

"We were disoriented, alright?" snapped Naoi.

The officer snapped his head towards Naoi's direction, looking strangely unconvinced. Naoi started to sweat himself, and he began to formulate an escape strategy.

However, his concerns were assuaged when the officer replied, "Okay, if you guys insist..."

The group continued advancing towards the Tokyo Police HQ. However, none of them noticed Fujimaki slowly gazing up at the building complex. A sinister sneer was slowly creeping onto his facial expression.

* * *

**Near the remnants of Hashimoto Manor**

"So...you and Chouko made amends, huh...?"

"Yes, we have."

Right now, Otonashi, Angel, Kimiko, and the rest of their group were running down the sidewalk leading out of Chouko's old neighborhood. Kimiko was leading the way, while the others kept their sights trained on all directions in anticipation of another ambush by the cult. C was still unconscious, so Matsushita had taken it upon himself to carry her on his back. As for Otonashi and Angel, they were lagging behind, allowing them to have some privacy in their conversation.

"Was...Was it hard...?" Otonashi asked.

"Yes," replied Angel. "There was...a lot of emotion and tears. Both of us had to expose our vulnerabilities and regrets to each other, raw. We thought it would be impossible. But...after I informed Chouko of the true magnitude of the situation, I accepted the new terms of our relationship..." The girl smiled fondly. "And even found some closure."

"Closure, huh?" Otonashi restrained himself. "G-Good for you."

Angel suddenly slowed her pace. "Why do you ask?"

"N-Nothing... It's nothing..."

However, Otonashi's tone was distant, and his gaze was absentminded as the redhead stared straight ahead. Angel made a sideways glance at him and saw the look of his face.

"The Kanade in me is sensing otherwise."

Otonashi suddenly sweat-dropped. "It's pretty weird hearing you say it that way."

Despite the comment, Angel maintained her emotionless poker-face. "Something is bothering you, Otonashi. I can tell."

Otonashi glanced at her, and she stared back with her glowing golden eyes. No matter how much he would try to deny it, there was no chance he could sway her opinion. Not with that expression of hers. Otonashi knew it.

So, he sighed heavily and admitted, "Takahashi and I...we parted on bad terms too, and...I still have yet to resolve these feelings that he has. About the whole situation. Sometimes..." He clenched his fists. "Sometimes I...I feel like a monster, using his body to do all of this, all without his consent..."

Angel's expression softened at his words. "So Takahashi's angry too?"

Otonashi nodded. "He has the same opinions as Chouko did. He's angry about the whole thing. He thinks that I meddled in things that didn't concern me. He holds me responsible for leading him into this dilemma. He thinks I don't care at all about all of this." His expression softened as he looked down at the ground guiltily. "His rage and confusion are justified. And perhaps there's some truth to what he said."

"That's not true at all!" Angel declared determinedly. "You're working just as hard as everyone else to get to the bottom of this dilemma! No, you're working harder than everyone else!"

The redhead heaved out a sigh. "Maybe, but...I _know_ there's a side of me that's just trying to take advantage of this. I'm already ecstatic every time we get another SSS member to come out of their reincarnated bodies. It's like...I'm trying to bring back all of my friends. After all, they're already acting and looking just like your friends, Chouko. I-I just can't help but feel nostalgic and in need of their presence."

"It doesn't matter."

The redhead looked back up at Angel, whose face had hardened with resolve. "No matter what you say or do, what kind of mistakes you think you made, I know, deep from the bottom of my heart, that _your_ heart is, and always _will_ be, better than that. You _do _care about Takahashi. You don't want to influence his life. And you certainly do not want to take control of Takahashi's life. Takahashi may think otherwise but he already knows all about you and your history. He will eventually understand that you're just here to help.

"And I know this because..." The girl placed a hand over her heart. "Your heart is mine, after all."

Otonashi cracked a smile, but then, he looked down at the ground guiltily. Angel sighed, before she closed her eyes...and opened them again. The golden glow had subsided.

"Takahashi," she said, "this is Chouko. I'm reaching out to you now."

Otonashi's eyes widened, and he looked up at the silver-haired girl. She was smiling gently at him.

"If you can hear me, I know things are confusing right now. Believe me, I was confused about all of this too. For once in my life, I didn't know what to do next. But I know what to do now, Takahashi. And I swear to you, together, we'll all get to the bottom of this, and we _will_ find a way to get Otonashi, Kanade, and the rest of the SSS out of our bodies. I swear, not only to you, but to myself and everyone else who's been affected. Because these are our lives, not theirs."

She walked up to Otonashi and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at him with shimmering eyes.

"This is _your_ life, Takahashi," she continued fondly. "Not Otonashi's. He knows it, and it pains him to know how violated you feel in the face of this phenomenon. So please, if you're listening, could you find it in your heart to forgive him?"

Otonashi felt as if Chouko's words were reaching into his soul through a fog of unbearable grief and confusion. With that, a smile of pure, undeniable joy started to creep onto his face. Before Chouko could react, he leaped forward and hugged her as tightly as she could. Unfazed by the sudden move, Chouko hugged him back on instinct.

"Hey!" Matsushita called. Upon hearing his voice, the couple broke apart, and Angel fully took over again. "Look, uh, wh-what makes you think the cult will be at the Tokyo Police HQ, Kana- I-I mean, Ch-Chouko- I-I mean-"

"It's just Angel, Matsushita," replied Angel.

"Jeez, this whole identity thing is _so_ confusing..."

"It's understandable."

"So..." Noda said while lightly pinching the skin between his eyebrows. "What Matsushita said."

Angel narrowed her eyes. "It's very simple. My father, Sadahiro Hashimoto, is a man with many, many connections, all of with deep pockets. If we ignore the Angel Player, remove it from the equation, it would be reasonable enough to assume Hashimoto would want to know how the investigation into the cult is going."

"Y-Yeah, that's right," Otonashi replied after recomposing himself. "As the true leader of the cult, he would want to know firsthand if the Tokyo Metropolitan Police was closing in on him."

"It explains why the cult was always to be one step ahead of the police every time," added Kimiko. "Even with all of the incompetent officers in their ranks, there was no way a group as big and widespread as the cult could've continued with their operations unimpeded for so long."

Angel nodded. "The only way Hashimoto, my father, could've kept up this charade was if he had insider knowledge of the investigation."

"And insider knowledge can only mean-" began Otonashi.

"He has a _rat_ in the department," completed Noda. "Man, this whole thing has more twists and turns than a pretzel!"

"Do you even _know_ what a pretzel is?!" exclaimed Matsushita.

"I know full well what a pretzel is! Sounds to me like _you_ don't know what a pretzel is!"

Hisako ignored the two boys and asked, "But what makes you think the cult will be hiding their nukes at the Tokyo Police HQ? I mean, they're taking a big risk doing so. What if someone who isn't involved finds them?"

"Then they take care of the problem and cover it up," Angel replied. "If the ones who are truly in charge of the cult are a group of businessmen, then they have the money and the resources to make someone disappear and suppress all news coverage of it."

"Not to mention hide a bunch of nukes in plain sight of the police..." added Kimiko through gritted teeth. "I can't believe this. And to think...I thought the cops were just a bunch of incompetent morons who couldn't hold onto a single coin if it meant getting some donuts in the end. Turns out they were all just being held back by their superiors..."

"We can talk about this later. For now, we have to get to the Tokyo Police HQ and find a way to get inside."

"Shouldn't that place be on high alert because of all the chaos going on right now?" Hinata asked.

"It should be," Otonashi replied. "Sneaking in doesn't sound like a viable option for us."

"But if we're caught," said Kimiko, "we'll be arrested for violating the mandatory shelter-in-place."

Otonashi suddenly stopped. "Wait a minute, hold up!"

Everyone else stopped as well. Angel looked at the redheaded boy with confusion.

"What is it, Otonashi?" she asked.

"Getting arrested," he replied. "That could be the ticket we need to get inside!"

"G-Getting ourselves _arrested_?" Royama asked in disbelief. Then, he sighed and shrugged nonchalantly. "Normally, this is the point where I'd complain and moan-"

"Like a little bitch," Noda insulted.

"I'm gonna ignore that. Um, but since I'm already too deep in this crazy shit, I think I'm gonna keep quiet from now on."

"Watch him start complaining and moaning again when things get crazy again," Miyuki whispered teasingly to Shiori.

"Hey, hey, I heard that!"

"I know getting thrown in jail over there sounds like a bad idea," explained Otonashi, "but if we time our moves correctly and move fast enough, we might just be able to get to the bottom of this."

"Do you even have a _plan_ on what to do once we're inside?" Kimiko asked suspiciously.

"Well, given I've never been inside a police station before, let alone the Tokyo Police HQ...no."

"Well, well, well, ain't that just _dandy_!" snapped Royama.

"_Aaaaannnnnddddd_ there he goes again," Miyuki whispered to Shiori with a snicker.

"I still heard that!"

"Hey," Noda piped up, attracting the attention of the others. "If you wanna know what the inside of a police station looks like..." He jabbed a thumb at his own chest while wearing a confident grin. "Look no further than me!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hinata asked flatly.

"I've been inside a multitude of police stations before!"

"No, you haven't."

"Yes, I have!" Noda crossed his arms. "What, didja think I was simply born a badass? Well, I appreciate the thought, but-"

"No, you told me you were a hikikomori in your past life."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute," Otonashi said, perplexed. "Hinata, you're saying Noda was a...a _hikikomori_ when he was alive?"

"Yep." Hinata crossed his arms while he scowled at the confused Noda. "He, ahem, _indirectly_ told me this just a couple of days before you arrived in the Afterlife. It was a lifestyle he wasn't particularly proud of."

"Wait, I _indirectly_ told you that crap?" Noda asked.

"Yeah," replied Hinata. "In a sense."

"In other words, you eavesdropped on me."

"Hey, I couldn't help it. Your serenade of Yurippe's photo was so hilarious I had to stay for a little and watch the cheesy stupidity unfold further."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute," Otonashi said, perplexed. "Hinata, you're saying Noda has a...a _photo_ of Yuri?"

"Mm-hm," Hinata replied. "And I'm assuming he does more than serenade it."

"For some reason, I feel _pretty_ uncomfortable..." Kimiko remarked while holding onto her chest protectively.

"Look," Noda snarled uncomfortably, "I'm-I'm just gonna ignore everything you just said and affirm my experience inside many, many police stations!"

"You spent the last five years of your life locked up in your goddamn room, Noda!" snapped Hinata. "I heard _everything_ that you said! Stop bullshitting us and let Otonashi do his thing-"

"No, I _swear_ I've been inside a police station before!"

"Oh, you've _gotta_ be kid-"

"Hold on, Hinata..." Angel suddenly interrupted. She approached Noda, grabbed him by the collar, and stared deeply into his purple eyes. She remained in that position for a moment, while Noda shuffled awkwardly and with some confusion.

"Uhhh, Kan- I mean, _Angel_?" asked Otonashi. "What's...What's going on...?"

Angel then released Noda unusually quickly. "Just as I suspected," she said, almost to herself. "His memories are starting to meld with those of his reincarnated self."

"His reincarnated self? You mean Noriya?" Then, the redhead looked at Noda's eyes and realized they were beginning to glow, just like Angel's. "What the hell...?"

"Why, what?" Noda looked at everyone else with escalating puzzlement. "Why're y'all starting at me like that?" His hand, the one holding his machete, twitched on instinct. "Really, you guys. You're freaking me out a little."

"How's that even possible?" Hisako asked.

"I thought you were supposed to make amends with your reincarnation and agree to work together like Kanade did!" Yui said. "I-I mean Chouko! I-I mean Angel!" She then clutched her head in distress. "_Ohhhhh_, this is so _confusing_..."

"The glow in his eyes is subtle," Angel commented.

"Yeah," added Otonashi in agreement. "Subtler than Angel's, actually."

"So what're you saying?" Kimiko asked. "That Noriya's starting to tap into the control Noda has over his body?"

"I don't think so," replied Angel. "If the two's memories are colliding and getting mixed up, then something chaotic must be going on inside their subconscious, the place where Noda originated."

"It doesn't matter what's happening," Otonashi said. "The memory Noda has access to, it could be of good use to us."

"Yes, that's true."

"You've got a good point there, Otonashi," Matsushita remarked, while many of the others nodded in agreement.

"_Great_," Hinata said, rolling his eyes. "We're all gonna put our trust and faith in the _moron_. The future sure is wonderful."

"Good. I'm glad to see we're all in agreement." He looked at Noda. "Okay then, Noda. If you think you have an idea what we can do when we're inside the building, then tell us."

Noda blinked slowly in response and scanned each member of his group in turn, noticing how they stared back at him in expectancy. Then, he flashed his teeth in a second grin of overbearing confidence.

* * *

**The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters**   
**Chiyoda, Tokyo  
** **A few minutes later**

"Are you _sure_ you're fine, kid?"

"Yes, yes, I am. Thank you, Officer."

Naoi made sure to wrap his arms over his torso as subtly and innocuously as possible. The boy kept a close, watchful eye on Hayashi, the officer escorting him, Hiroto, Fujimaki, and Chaa from the medical bay to the row of jail cells. The rooms and halls echoed loudly from the cacophony of noises. Every couple of seconds, Naoi saw sweaty officers scurrying about through the station, many of them responding to calls on the phone or the walkie-talkie, some carrying files.

"I apologize, kids," Hayashi said; he too had noticed the chaos as well. "It's just that everyone's scrambling to figure out the next move of that cult."

"Aren't we all..." Hiroto remarked sardonically, but the officer didn't register the tone.

"See, this is why you must follow the orders of your government. The system may be screwed up at some points, but we still know what's best for you."

"Spoken like a real politician," Chaa replied sarcastically.

This time, Hayashi caught on to the mistrust coming from the adolescents. He pursed his lips nastily at the older boy, but otherwise, he didn't say anything else. He then pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the nearest cell, which happened to be completely empty.

"Alright, in you guys go," he said. "I'll check up on you guys every ten minutes. We'll let you know when we find your IDs and a proper place for you to sleep at while this thing blows over."

"Thanks, man," Naoi replied earnestly as he followed Hiroto, Fujimaki, and Chaa into the cell.

"And don't worry." Hayashi closed the door behind him and put the keys back into his pocket. "Your little sister and your friend will be just fine. We've got the best nurses the force can afford."

"'Kay, thank you again, Officer."

The policeman nodded respectfully at Naoi, stared at Hiroto and Chaa distastefully for a split-second, and then made his leave. Once they were confident Hayashi and any other officers were out of earshot, Hiroto clutched one of the bars and slammed his clenched fist into another.

"Damn it!" the boy snapped.

"Relax, man, _relax_!" Naoi cried with surprise. "What's the problem?"

"It's _my_ fault all of this happened!"

"_Your_ fault? Hey, man, I don't know what led up to this, but it certainly couldn't have been-"

"I should've been paying more attention!" Hiroto rested his forehead against the bars. "If I hadn't been slacking off and chatting up with Iwasawa, then we'd still be with Otonashi and the others." Then, he remembered something. "Speaking of which..." He slowly looked at Fujimaki. "What the hell happened anyway, Fujimaki?"

Fujimaki looked over his shoulder with bafflement. Naoi could've sworn he saw an eerie glimmer of emotion in his beady eyes, but it disappeared as soon as he saw it.

"What?" Fujimaki asked.

"Why'd you run off from me and Iwasawa?" Hiroto released the bar. "What made the other guy take over?"

"What other guy?"

"You know what I'm talking about! Y-Your bat-shit crazy reincarnated self!"

"Reincarnated self?" Fujimaki looked even more puzzled than ever. "I-I dunno what you're talking about."

"Jeez," Chaa remarked with concern. "You must've hit your head harder than we thought."

Before Fujimaki or Hiroto could respond, Naoi heard a familiar voice speak to them.

"Hiroto? Hey, Hiroto! Is that you?!"

Naoi looked over his shoulder...and held back a shocked gasp.

"O-_Ōyama_?" he asked incredulously. "T-_TK_?!"

A confused Hozumi Karubo stared through the bars of the neighboring jail cell. "_Ōyama_?" He blinked and tilted his head. "Who's Ōyama?"

"Yo, this shit's gettin' _twisty_!" Tyler Kendall cried in English.

Without a second thought, Hiroto strolled over to the side of the cell Hozumi was staring through. "Karubo!" he cried with relief. "Oh, man! We were wondering what happened to you and Kendall!"

"Well, what does it look like?" the innocent-looking adolescent replied sheepishly. "We got caught and tossed in jail."

"We be rotting like rats!" Tyler exclaimed randomly, again in English.

Then, Hozumi peered over Hiroto's shoulder. "Hey, uhhh, Hiroto? Who're these guys?"

"Huh?" Hiroto followed the smaller boy's gaze. "Oh, Fujimaki and Chaa here joined up with me, Kimiko, and the others." Then, he looked at Naoi. "As for him, I don't know where he came from-"

"Hey, Ōyama!" Naoi interrupted giddily. He approached the bars, clutched them, and stared into Hozumi's eyes, startling the boy. "Dude, I can't believe I'm seeing another familiar face!"

"O-Ōy-_Ōyama_?" Hozumi stuttered in bafflement. "I-I don't know wh-what the heck you're talking about!"

"Ōyama, don't you remember me?!" Naoi looked at Tyler next. "What about you, TK?!"

"Dunno, man," replied Tyler. "You freakin' me out!"

"Yep!" Naoi snapped his fingers with glee. "You're TK, alright! Man, I never thought I'd hear your frigging broken English ever again!"

"S-Se-_Seriously_!" cried Hozumi. "W-We don't know who you are, o-or who Ōyama a-and TK are!"

"What?!" Naoi gestured to himself with a smile of desperation. "It's me, guys! Ayato Naoi! We were in the SSS togeth-"

The Mao cap-wearing boy was suddenly pulled back by Hiroto, who shook his head.

"Dude, chill," the brown-haired boy said. "They haven't regained their memories yet."

"Haven't regained their memories yet?" Naoi repeated incredulously. "B-But look at 'em! Th-They're-"

"I know they look like your friends, Naoi, but they're still their reincarnated selves." Hiroto clutched Naoi's shoulders and stared deeply into his eyes. "You need to calm down, man. Like I said before, Otonashi will explain it to you-"

"We don't know what happened to Otonashi, man!" Naoi snapped. "I don't even _know_ you!" He broke away from Hiroto's grip. "How the hell am I supposed to trust you?!"

"Look, Iwasawa can vouch for me!"

"Iwasawa's _unconscious_ right now, so you're looking pretty suspicious to me!"

"Dude, you have to trust me-"

"Okay, then!" Naoi crossed his arms. "If you want me to trust you, why don't _you_ explain everything to me? T-The whole shindig! Start from the beginning!"

"Yeah," Chaa said while sitting down against the bars. "I think I deserve a full explanation for all the confusing shit that I just went through."

"S-Sa-Same here," stuttered Hozumi, "'c-cause I'm c-confused as _heck_ right now."

"Dude," deadpanned Hiroto while he slowly looked down at his friend, "do you not _swear at all_?"

"I swear on my bloody heart, we all confused!" Tyler cried randomly.

* * *

**Yunokawa Household**   
**Current Meeting Place of the Global Awareness Club**

"So, Hamada-kun...what do you see?"

Touya Hamada didn't respond to Yuuji's question. Instead, his pupils flitted from left to right and back at a rapid pace as he multitasked between watching all the security cameras, accessing police databases, and reading official case-files. His focus on his computer screen was astounding, astronomical even, in its refusal to waver. Yuuji was going to ask again but he noticed how intensely his friend and fellow club member was concentrated on his workload.

"Interesting..." Touya muttered to himself. "Very, very interesting... Huh... What do we have here...? Hello there..."

_"Jeez..."_ Yuuji thought with astonishment. _"I didn't know Hamada-kun could work his way around the computer systems of the _Tokyo Metropolitan Police_!"_

"Yuuji-kun!" a woman's voice called through the closed bedroom door. "Do you want me to cook some dinner for you and your friends?!"

"AGH!" Yuuji squeaked before calming down. "N-No thanks, Mom! W-We'll be fine!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Mom! I'm double-sure!"

"Oi, Yuuji-kun!" his father called. "You and Hamada-kun aren't getting into a pickle with those cyberbullies, are you?"

"O-Of course not, Dad! I-It's not like we're willingly giving them our personal info or anything!"

"They found us," Touya said silently.

"Oh, they found us," replied Yuuji. Then, the words hit him again like a ton of bricks. "THEY FOUND US?!"

"Honey?" This time, Yuuji's mother sounded very concerned. "Who's found you?"

"O-Oh!" Yuuji started to sweat profusely. "N-No one's found us, Mom!"

"But you just said-" the woman began.

"I-I meant, n-not p-personally! H-Ha-Hamada-kun a-and I w-were hiding from cyberbullies i-in an MMORPG b-but t-they found us anyway!"

"An MMO..._what_?" asked Yuuji's father.

"A massively multiplayer online role-playing game," Touya explained calmly.

"_Ohhhhh_, those! Man, I haven't heard of those in a _while_!" Then, Yuuji heard his father clear his throat. "C-Carry on, son! Let us know if you need anything!"

"W-We will!" replied Yuuji. Then, as soon as he was met with silence, he glared at Touya. "What do you _mean_ they found us?"

"I couldn't fight them any longer," Touya explained, his voice still strangely calm. "The enemy locked onto me and traced my signal to our current location. They will be here in a few minutes."

"What the hell, man?! I thought you said you'd be able to keep them at bay for a while!"

"Alas, it appears my efforts did not yield much fruit..." Touya suddenly scowled at his computer. "Accursed laptop and its inferior technology. If I was in possession of better hardware and software, I would have performed excellent miracles."

"Okay, why the hell are you talking like that, Hamada?!" Yuuji snapped angrily. "This is no time to be dicking around! We have the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on our asses and-" Then, he blinked with confusion. "Ha-Hamada...?"

Touya was looking at him with confusion.

"Who's Hamada?" Then, he started looking around. "W-Wait, wh-where am I?"

"What're you talking about?" Yuuji asked with concern. "You're in my onii-chan's room, Hamada-kun."

Touya looked back at him, perplexed. "_Hamada_? My name's not Hamada. I'm Takeyama."

Then, seemingly out of instinct and a little nostalgia, Takeyama adjusted his glasses. They glinted brightly from the light of his laptop.

"But you may call me Christ."

...

Yuuji fell to the floor in disbelief.

"You said that before..." he moaned.

* * *

**The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters**   
**Chiyoda, Tokyo**

"Sergeant!" Fukuyama cried as she and a few other officers approached the barricade.

"Ohhhhh, Fukuyama-san..." the sergeant said while leering at her body.

"Enough of that. Did anyone come by around this area a few minutes ago? They'd be badly injured."

"Yeah!" an officer replied. "A bunch of kids were here not long before you came in! They said they were in a car crash."

Fukuyama stared at him. "Wait, a _car crash_?"

"Yes, that's right. He said it occurred at Last Stop Apartments."

Fukuyama looked at her colleagues in disbelief before replying, "We have Last Stop Apartments on full lockdown. There have been no reports of car crashes in the area."

The sergeant's eyes widened. "_What_?!"

"Moreover, I just came from Kasumigaseki. There was a car crash there. Two vehicles involved, but no victims, just a trail of blood leading here."

"A trail of blood...leading _here_?" The sergeant then slapped his forehead. "Goddamn it! We were _tricked_! No wonder why those kids looked a lil' jumpy!"

"Kids?" Fukuyama's interest was piqued even more. "How many of them were there? And what did they look like?"

"Well, the leader was this boy with dark-green hair and a Mao cap-"

"Fuuta Ukiyo..." interrupted Fukuyama.

"Excuse me?"

Fukuyama crossed her arms and frowned with anger. "Sergeant, the boy you just described escaped from a hospital and stole a police car, which was one of the vehicles involved in the crash I just mentioned. Are you telling me you or _any_ of the officers in your team saw the BOLO I put out about an hour ago?"

The sergeant started sputtering incomprehensibly, while some of the officers started fidgeting out of nervousness. With her suspicions confirmed, Fukuyama continued speaking.

"This boy also happens to be armed. _Please_ tell me you did a pat-down on him."

"The kid was injured!" an officer exclaimed. "W-We had no reason to believe-"

"Where is he now?" Fukuyama asked, cutting the man off.

"In HQ," replied the sergeant while pointing at the building behind him. "Hayashi took him and the other kids there. So-Some of them were pretty badly hurt, so they were taken to the medical bay."

"Okay." With pursed lips, Fukuyama and her group marched through the barricade and past the stationed officers. "Lock the whole building down! Make sure no one gets in or out, even if they have a badge!" She then stopped and looked over her shoulder disapprovingly. "Unless you wanna waste a few more minutes ogling my ass! Minutes that are precious and could determine the difference between life and death!"

The sergeant's eyes quickly shifted upward. "O-O-On it!"

Fukuyama nodded before resuming her march. As she did, she couldn't help but feel a swelling sensation in her chest.

_"Wow,"_ she thought. _"It...It feels good to be in charge for once. Igarashi-san would be so proud of me..."_

* * *

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it, ladies and gentlemen! The first of the final seven chapters to this godforsaken fic! Here, lots of developments have occurred, most notably the return of Takeyama and...the melding of Kanade and Chouko into one?
> 
> Yes, that pretty much happened! Kanade and Chouko have combined into one being who'll be going by Angel for the rest of this climactic showdown! However, just because they found a way to coexist in one body doesn't mean this is going to be a permanent condition. After all, they are still two souls sharing one body, which is unnatural in the Universe. So stay tuned to find out the true resolution to all of this!
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	32. Iwasawa's Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter took a while to get out. If you've been following my updates at FanFiction.Net, then you'll know I had been struggling with a skin infection for about a week. Fortunately, I was able to take medication that quelled the infection, and I'm now able to resume cross-posting fics. ENJOY!
> 
> P.S.: Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.
> 
> P.P.S.: This chapter should be quite a treat for you all, since it features a very special work from our favorite musician! ;)

**CHAPTER 30: IWASAWA'S SONG**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - ** _ **Post-Afterlife Name** _

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Takamatsu - _Takayoshi Asahara_

Yusa - _Rikana Egami_

Ōyama - _Hozumi Karubo_

TK - _Tyler Kendall_

Eri Shiina - _C_

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* * *

**Unknown location**

_ **"Ch-Ch...** _ **Chou** _ **...** _ **Chooooouuuuu** _ **...** _ **keeeee** _ **..."** _

_ **"Fuuta?! ** _ **Fuuta** _ **! Wh-What? What ** _ **happened** _ ** to you?!"** _

_ **"Just...trying...to protect you... I...screwed up, though..."** _

_ **"No, you didn't, Fuuta. You...Y-You did ** _ **great** _ **! You've ** _ **always** _ ** did great! ...I...I never got to show you my g-gratitude, Fuuta! Never! Not even after what I learned about...F...F...Fa...Fa..."** _

_ **"Oh, get on with it, Chou-kee..."** _

_ **"You've always been there for me, Fuuta! For much of my life, you were the only person my age that I could talk to! I-I know all we ever did was argue, and all I ever wanted back then was for you to...to...to ** _ **shut up** _ **!"** _

_ **"Heh...heh...heh..."** _

_ **"But...but now you're the only one left in my life, Fuuta! Mother's dead, F-F-Father's betrayed me, Junna's dead..."** _

_ **"I'm sorry, Chouko... I guess...life's just...unfair...sometimes..."** _

_ **"No, Fuuta! Please live! ** _ **Please** _ **! I want us to argue again! I want you to keep calling me by that irritating name again! I...I want things to be the way they used to! ** _ **Please** _ **..."** _

_ **"Chouko..."** _

_ **"F-Fuuta?!"** _

_ **"Ch-Ch-** _ **Chouko** _ **..."** _

He didn't know what had happened.

First, he didn't see, hear, smell, feel, or even taste anything for the longest time; a serene feeling of emptiness. Then, he was lying on the hard ground, with his arms spread all the way out like an idiot. As soon as his eyelids flew open, all five of his senses returned to him at once, as if nothing had happened to them in the first place.

The first thing he saw was a thick tree that was so unnaturally tall it was almost like a skyscraper. There was one branch hanging so low that it enshrouded most of his body in its cool shadow, shielding him from the bright, unimpeded Sun. An even taller hillside, precariously steep and dashed with rocks and roots, towered above the tree. A soft breeze blew like a whisper, rocking the branch to and fro; it almost resembled a waving hand.

"Where am I...?" he asked softly, looking around. "What happened...?"

"So..." a familiar voice suddenly replied. "You're the one who died."

He gasped in terror and sat upward, only to be greeted by the sight of empty air. He started panting frantically, and quite unfortunately, things were made worse for him when he heard the voice again.

"Over here."

He looked to his right and saw a teenage boy sitting on a rock that was very small in height but wide enough to fit a boy. Then, as he blinked, something clicked in his mind, and he realized, to his horror, he was looking at _himself_...only it was not himself as well. It was him, and yet, it wasn't him at the same time...

"Once again," his other said with the ghost of a depressed smile, "I had to swap places with someone. ...I guess fate's a very cruel thing to those who've lived meaningless lives once..."

"W-Wh-Who the hell are you?!" he snapped, scrambling a few feet away from his other.

"Oh, I'm sorry! My name's Ayato Naoi. You must be my reincarnated self. Fuuta Ukiyo, right?"

* * *

**The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters  
** **Chiyoda, Tokyo  
** **Several minutes earlier**

Hozumi sat back down on the bench of his cell, utterly perplexed by what he'd just heard. Tyler was still leaning against the bars, his head lowered and his enigmatic eyes obscured even more. As for Hiroto, he looked between Naoi, Fujimaki, and Chaa, hoping to see a glint of understanding in their faces.

"So?" Hiroto asked hopefully. "Do you guys understand what I'm telling you?"

"I...I think so..." replied Naoi.

"You _think_ so? What do you mean by 'you think so'?"

"Hey, gimme a _break_, man!" Naoi collapsed against the bars of his own cell. "It's just, well...my mind's trying to catch up with all this information, that's all..."

"So," Hozumi piped up, "you're saying I'm...someone else reincarnated?"

"Pretty much," replied Hiroto.

"And that guy, the one with the Mao cap, he knew me...or rather, the guy who came before me?"

"You're all reincarnated, Karubo. All of you, you knew each other in the Afterlife."

"Wh...What about you, Sekozawa...?"

Hiroto blinked. "What about me?"

"Did _you_ know me in my previous life?"

"N-No. I-I mean, no one in my group seems to recognize me."

"That's true," Chaa said. "This guy's a total stranger."

"I see..." Hozumi looked down at the floor in disbelief. "So...who else in our group was reincarnated from someone else?"

"As far as I know, pretty much everyone. I think the exceptions are Egami, Hamada, Sugisata, Royama, and Naotatsu's brother Yuuji...but I heard Otonashi mention Egami and Hamada, so they might be reincarnated too."

"So Sugisata, Royama, and Yuuji-kun are the only ones who're going into this whole thing blind." Hozumi shook his head. "What are the chances of _that_? About ninety percent of our club is someone else reincarnated!"

"It's a crazy coincidence, y'all!" Tyler shouted.

"Or perhaps..." a new voice said.

Hiroto looked towards the other corner of his cell. "What do you mean, Naoi?"

"Perhaps this is more than just coincidence," Naoi replied in a strange voice. "Perhaps this is something even bigger than all of us..."

"E-Excuse me?" asked Chaa.

Naoi was suddenly shaken from his reverie. The Mao cap-wearing boy looked up at his companions with confused eyes.

"I'm sorry, what?" he asked.

"You were going on about how this wasn't just a big, major coincidence," Chaa replied.

"I...I _did_?" Naoi looked down at his hands. "Wh...When was _this_...?"

"Just a couple of seconds ago!"

"I...I don't remember any of that-"

"Ohhh, come on! Are you _really_ spacing out on us at a critical moment like this?! We need to think of a plan to get out of this cell and stop the cult!"

"Look, how do you expect me to do that when I'm still trying to catch up with the context of all this?! Gimme a break for crying out loud!"

"Okay, OKAY!" Hiroto shouted, interrupting the other two boys. "Let's not argue about this, okay?! Now, Chaa's right; we gotta come up with a plan. But we'll do it _later_...'cause..." He yawned. "Sleep's starting to catch up with me..."

"Yeah, me too," replied Hozumi. "It's been a long day."

"Whaddaya mean 'long day'?" Chaa asked. "If what you told me is true, you spent much of it locked up in this cell!"

"Hey, Tyler and I were bored out of our minds, waitin' for the rest of the group to initiate the next step of the plan!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake..." grumbled Hiroto. "Guys, I understand we're all tired, but let's not take it out on each other. If we're gonna take down the cult, we need to work together on this. So...I suggest we all take turns sleeping. We need to replenish our energy so we can be up and ready in case we need to act again."

"Alright, alright..." Chaa replied, taking a deep breath. "So...who's gonna stay awake?"

"I'll volunteer," Fujimaki said suddenly, raising his hand.

"Yo, same here!" Tyler added in English.

"I'm..." Naoi yawned quickly before continuing, "I'm good to go too-"

"Naoi, I saw that yawn," deadpanned Hiroto. "And considering what you just told me when we first met, you need all the sleep you can get, more than the rest of us even!"

"But..." Naoi tried to stand up. "I gotta wait for Otonashi and the others. Look, I wanna be of help to you guys. I can be of help, I just _know_ it-"

"You're not gonna be of _any_ help as is," Chaa interrupted. "You're even sleep-talking, apparently!"

"Just settle down and relax, man," added Hiroto, his voice soothing and consoling. "Fujimaki will wake us up if anything comes up."

"You can count on me!" Fujimaki exclaimed with a toothy grin. "Just sleep tight, man."

"Damn it..." Naoi wanted to stay awake, but he found himself yawning again. "_Fine_, I'll go to goddamn sleep... Just...Just don't doze off on us too, Fujimaki. We're counting on you to keep us in the loop in case something happens."

Fujimaki suddenly saluted. "Roger that!"

Naoi, Hiroto, and Chaa stared at him suspiciously before lying down on the benches provided by their cell. After making sure they were comfortable (which took quite a bit of strenuous effort), the three boys closed their eyelids and allowed themselves to be taken away by the embrace of the sandman. In the neighboring cell, Hozumi did the same thing, and in a manner of minutes, he was already snoring.

* * *

Once it was clear Naoi, Hiroto, Chaa, and Hozumi were all sleeping, Fujimaki discreetly observed Tyler, making sure the English-speaking boy wasn't watching. The first five minutes of his self-assigned duty were spent with him eavesdropping on all of the strange English phrases Tyler kept spouting out. However, once Tyler had his back on the neighboring cell, a sinister grin crept upon Fujimaki's face.

_"Perfect,"_ he thought. _"Now...time to get back to the cult..."_

Fuyuhiko Ezakiya stared at the door of his cell and peered into its keyhole, hoping to ascertain its shape and size. Then, after taking a cursory second glance at Tyler, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a rusty blade he stashed away in case of emergencies.

"Heh heh heh..."

* * *

**Fuuta Ukiyo?  
Present day**

Fuuta blinked rapidly. "Re..._Reincarnated self_...?"

_ **"Hey, guys! That was freaking awe-!"** _

** _BANG!_ **

All of the memories of his last moments crashed back into Fuuta's brain with the force of a tidal wave. However, instead of reacting with terror, the teenager simply looked down at the ground with disbelief.

"I don't understand," he said. "I...I was _shot_... I thought I'd _die_." He looked back up at Naoi. "How come I'm not dead?"

"I'm not sure about that," Naoi replied while scanning his surroundings. "But one thing's for sure. Whatever happened to you caused you to lose control over your body...and I took over."

Fuuta's eyes widened with distrust. "_What_?"

Realizing what the other boy was thinking, Naoi raised his hands defensively. "Hey, hey, calm down, Ukiyo! Look, I swear, I haven't done anything shady while I was you-"

"Like hell I'd believe you!" Fuuta interrupted. "I know you're my past self, but how the hell am I supposed to trust you?! I don't even know anything about you! I mean, I know all about the whole reincarnation mess, but Otonashi never filled me in on what kind of person you are-"

Naoi's head suddenly perked up. "Wait, wait, you _met_ Otonashi?!"

"Y-Yeah! _He's_ the one who explained the whole process about reincarnation to me!"

Naoi suddenly grabbed Fuuta's hands, and his eyes were sparkling. "How is he, Ukiyo?! Is he doing well?!"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?!"

"Whaddaya mean?!" Then, Naoi's eyes widened in remembrance. "Oh, right... You got shot..."

"No, shit." Then, Fuuta crossed his arms. "Alright, then. You seem to hold Otonashi in high regard. Then tell me, then, if you want me to trust you: what kind of significance does he hold for you?"

"Well..." Naoi smiled fondly. "He acknowledged me for being me, during a time of personal crisis. My past life was one of forgery, where I was someone else. No one recognized me outside of the shadow of the person I was forced to emulate. I died never accepting my own identity, my individuality, but in the Afterlife, Yuzuru Otonashi came along, broke through the barrier I set up for myself, and granted me what I desired, deep down. And for that, I...I can never be able to repay him for that..."

Fuuta took a moment to process what Naoi just told him. Just then, a certain memory came up in his head.

_ **"** _ **Naoi** _ **? You're here too?!"** _

_ **"Naoi? Who's Naoi? Are-Are you talking to ** _ **me** _ **, Takahashi?"** _

"So I guess _that's_ why Otonashi called me 'Naoi' like that," said Fuuta with realization. "He never, ever regarded me like an enemy or a scumbag."

"That's Otonashi for you."

"Okay, then. I guess you're trustworthy." Fuuta surveyed his surroundings. "Tell me, where the hell am I?"

"Well..." Naoi looked around as well. "This must be the part of your brain where I came from."

"The part of my brain where you came from?" Fuuta strained his mind to recall what Otonashi and Kanade told him about reincarnation. "Okay, okay, Otonashi said there are parts of the brain would manifest into dreamlike realms, a safe space for your soul, if you will. It's where all the SSS members would be once they've been reincarnated."

"Hmmm..." Naoi looked down at the ground. "I'm surprised that my safe space took on the image of this place, though."

"It's gotta be because it has a lot of significance to you. I mean, I have no idea what the hell this place is-"

"This is the place where my brother died."

...

"Oh." Fuuta fidgeted awkwardly. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Naoi looked towards the other boy. "Remember, I moved on from all of that. If I did, I'd still be up there."

"Yeah, that's true."

Fuuta suddenly couldn't help but stare deeply into Naoi's eyes and examine everything about them. Indeed, just as Naoi said, there was no trace of grief or somberness in those golden pupils. Instead, they looked focused and precise in their glare. If Naoi focused his stare even more, Fuuta might've as well been entranced.

Then, before he could help it, Fuuta blurted out, "How'd you die?"

Naoi blinked. "Huh?"

Fuuta immediately backtracked. "I-I'm sorry! I-I d-didn't mean to pry there-"

"I-It's alright, man. It's not a sensitive topic at all. Remember, I moved on. ...At least, I was _supposed_ to..."

"What do you think caused this? You taking control of my body and all that other freaky, supernatural stuff?"

"I'm not sure, Ukiyo. But I'm looking into it right now."

"You are?" Fuuta's curiosity was piqued. "What were you doing before you, you know...came here? Wh-Why're you here, anyway?"

"Well, for starters, I'm in jail right now-"

Fuuta's eyes widened with horror. "WAIT, YOU'RE IN _JAIL_?!"

"Calm down, Ukiyo, calm down!" Naoi started waving his hands in desperate consolation. "Don't worry, I wasn't arrested or anything! I-I mean, _you_ weren't arrested."

"O-Okay, but..._why_ are you in jail in the first place...?"

"Well, after I escaped the hospital-"

Fuuta's eyes widened with terror. "WAIT, YOU ESCAPED FROM THE _HOSPITAL_?!"

Naoi started waving his hands in desperate consolation. "Calm down, Ukiyo, calm down!"

"Calm _down_?! I...I was SHOT, remember?! _Please_ tell me I was treated first!" Then, Fuuta noticed the apprehensive look on Naoi's face. "You _weren't_ treated when you escaped?!"

"I-I woke up and freaked out!" Naoi replied defensively. "I wasn't sure what the hell was happening, so I gathered what I could and bolted outta there!"

"I WAS FRIGGING **SHOT**, REMEMBER?!"

"Well, for a gunshot wound, it only had a mild sting to it."

"MILD STING, MY- Wait, what?"

"The bullet wound was more of an annoyance than anything else, Ukiyo. Don't worry; it's not lethal."

"H-_How_? It hurt like _hell_ when I was shot!"

Naoi rubbed his chin with his finger. "That's strange. Maybe you, quote unquote, dying and me taking over your body did something to that wound. Something medically impossible..."

"Or maybe..." Fuuta's heart fell. "I _did_ die and you're controlling the body of a dead man..."

"Hey, if you _did_ die, then we would not be here. No, something else happened." Naoi put his hands on Fuuta's shoulders. "Don't worry, Ukiyo. We'll get to the bottom of this and fix it."

Fuuta chuckled dryly. "How? You're sitting in a goddamn jail cell." Then, he looked at Naoi suspiciously. "How the hell am I supposed know you didn't just get arrested for bailing outta that hospital?"

"Well, for starters, I'm with some of my friends right now. Iwasawa, Fujimaki, and Chaa."

"I...I don't know who the hell those people are-"

"They're people who were with the SSS!"

"And how am I-" Suddenly, something clicked in Fuuta's head. "Wait, wait, wait a minute, back up for a bit. Did you say _Fujimaki_?"

"Yeah, Fujimaki's with me." Naoi arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

_ **"You know, the person in your head, his name was Fujimaki. And he definitely wouldn't have allowed any of this to happen, not in a heartbeat. He always looked out for the little guys, and he looked down on those who loved to use their power to subjugate others.** _

"So I guess that Fujimaki guy managed to break out..." Fuuta whispered to himself.

"Excuse me?" asked Naoi.

"Hey, you need to be careful around Fujimaki. He may be your friend, but his reincarnated self is nuts!"

"_Nuts_?"

"Yeah! The guy tried to kill me and my friends once. He's a goddamn cuckoo."

"Well, Sekozawa _did_ say he was once bad news..."

Fuuta blinked. "Sekozawa?"

"Another person who's with me."

"O-Oh." Then, he crossed his arms. "You still didn't prove to me that you didn't get arrested."

"W-Well, I ran into Iwasawa, Fujimaki, Chaa, and the others...l-literally."

"I don't like the sound of that..."

"A-Anyway, Iwasawa was badly hurt and the nearest place to go to was the Tokyo Police HQ."

"W-Wa-Wait, wait, h-hold on...the _Tokyo Police HQ_?"

"Yeah!"

"And you guys just _ran_ over there?"

"Well, we were all hurt so we had to find some place where they'd attend to our wounds! Besides, none of the cops there seemed to recognize me. I wasn't cuffed by the time I went to sleep. Plus they didn't see my bullet wound-"

"Well, they should've!" Fuuta interrupted. "You may not be affected by it, but what if I return and it hurts like a bitch?!"

"Okay, okay! I'll...I'll get someone to fix it when I wake up."

"You'd better!" Fuuta then sat down on the rock and sighed with distress. "I-I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to snap at you or anything like that. It's just..."

His voice trailed off, prompting Naoi to say, "It's all strange to you, isn't it?"

Fuuta nodded. "Even if I now know what happens after you die...it's a different experience seeing all of this be confirmed for yourself."

"Don't worry, Ukiyo. I promise, I'll find a way to give you back control of your body, even if it means getting rid of myself in the process. I mean, the two of us can't share one body, right? Besides, the cops are treating me really nicely. They're just keeping me in a cell for the time being because of this shelter-in-place order."

"Th-The shelter-in-place order?" Fuuta looked up. "W-Wait a minute, that's still in effect?"

"Yeah, but apparently, a bunch of people aren't following protocol right now. Things are really ramping up, it seems, and the final showdown seems to be almost underway."

"Jeez, that can't be good..."

"Well, obviously not. I mean, everyone's talking about this cult. Cult this, cult that. Sekozawa tells me they are planning some sort of attack on Tokyo, but he didn't give me any specific details...though, to be perfectly frank, I never asked for them. Anyway, what's up with that?"

Fuuta's eyes narrowed. "It's...It's more than that..."

Naoi arched an eyebrow. "_More_ than that?"

"They have a bunch of nukes. They're planning on using it against the whole country."

"The whole _country_?" Naoi's eyes widened with terror. "Holy crap... I-I gotta get to Otonashi right away! I gotta warn him and-"

"Don't worry, man," Fuuta interrupted. "He knows all about what's happening."

Naoi glared at his reincarnated self with a look of desperation. "We-Well, I still gotta get to him! He's always the one who knows what to do! He always has a plan!"

"Okay, okay! You'll get to Otonashi! Chill, man, _chill_."

Naoi processed Fuuta's words and took a few deep breaths to recompose himself. Once he calmed down, he asked, "So, uh...I know you got, uh, sh-_shot_...but, like, do you know how Otonashi was doing before...you know..."

Fuuta realized what he meant. "He was doing fine by the time the lights went out for me. All of them were, actually...but, given this whole debacle is apparently still going on, I'm not sure how they're doing right now..."

"Damn it."

"I'm sorry, man-"

"Don't be. Whatever happened, it was out of your control. You couldn't do a thing about it..." Naoi started pacing around, deep in thought. "I never got to see Otonashi in the brief time I was awake. H-He must be somewhere else. Hopefully in Tokyo."

"I-I'm sure he's fine, man. Otonashi's been on top of this since the very beginning-"

Naoi stomped his foot like a child. "Well, I still gotta help him somehow!"

"Okay, okay, jeez! Calm down!" Then, Fuuta raised an eyebrow. "Why're you so hung up about helping Otonashi anyway? I thought you're trying to do your part on your end."

"I...I just gotta help him, alright? There's nothing with a lil' repayment..."

But all of a sudden, Naoi's cheeks turned florid. Fuuta stared at his past self's reddening face for a few moments before the realization hit him.

"You're gay for Otonashi, aren't you?" he said.

Fuuta's face immediately became as red as a cherry. "WH-WH-WHA-WHAT'RE YOU T-TA-TALKING AB-ABOUT?!" The boy started waving his hands in desperation. "I-I'M NOT G-GA-GAY F-FOR O-OTONASHI! I'M-I'M JUST V-V-VERY GRATEFUL F-FOR HIM F-F-FOR A-AC-ACK-ACK-ACKN-NO-NO-OWLEDGING ME! N-NO-NOTHING WRONG W-WI-WITH A-A Li-LI-LITTLE G-GR-GRA-GRATI-TI-TUDE!"

"Okay, okay, whatever you say, man. Whatever you say..." Fuuta's eye started to twinkle, however. "You know, uhhh...he was together with that Kanade girl last time I saw them-"

Naoi suddenly turned around with clenched fists and viciously snarled, "That fucking _bitch_!"

"So you _are_ gay for Otonashi!"

Naoi froze, realizing he had been caught. Then, he twirled back around to face Fuuta, and his face was contorted into an expression of utmost irritation.

"Yeah, yeah, so I am!" he snapped. Then, he crossed his arms. "Why? You got a _problem_ with that?"

It was Fuuta's turn to wave his hands in desperation. "NO, NO, NO, I-I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT! I-I'M NOT A DAMN H-HOM-HOMOPHOBE O-OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT!" Then, he calmed down and started fidgeting apprehensively. "I-It's just, well..."

His voice trailed off, prompting Naoi to say, "You don't swing that way."

"Ye..._Yeah_..." Fuuta then rubbed his head sheepishly. "A-And, you know...you apparently have control over my body right now..."

Naoi pursed his lips. "Look, I have NOT flirted with any men while I was conscious, alright? You don't have any same-sex suitors coming after you, so don't worry about it!"

"Okay, okay, I'm just saying!"

* * *

**Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo**

**_"If you can hear me, I know things are confusing right now. Believe me, I was confused about all of this too. For once in my life, I didn't know what to do next. But I know what to do now, Takahashi. And I swear to you, together, we'll all get to the bottom of this, and we _will_ find a way to get Otonashi, Kanade, and the rest of the SSS out of our bodies. I swear, not only to you, but to myself and everyone else who's been affected. Because these are our lives, not theirs."_**

_"These are _their _lives...not ours."_ Otonashi released a long, heavy sigh. _"But...now that I'm alive again...do I _really _have a say in all of this...?"_

"Otonashi."

Otonashi was brought out of his reverie by Angel's words. He looked at the petite, silver-haired girl, who currently had a Hand Sonic-tipped arm stretched out, stopping him from walking any further.

"We're almost there," she said.

"Then why'd we stop?" Otonashi asked.

"Because you were about to step on that cat."

"_Huh_?!"

Otonashi looked down and saw a certain feline fondly rubbing its body against his leg.

"_Nyaaaaa_..." purred the cat.

"_Awwwww_!" Yui squealed, her eyes becoming starry the moment she spotted the cat. "So _cute_!"

At first, Otonashi was about to shoo the cat away. Then, he recognized its markings and bent down to pick it up.

"Yo, Otonashi!" Noda called as he approached. "What're you doing carrying that street cat?"

"It's not a street cat, you guys," replied Otonashi. He showed the others its collar, which bore a shining tag of silver. "It's Natsumi's cat."

"Natsumi? You mean my sister? I mean...the other guy's sister?"

"Yeah. And I doubt she'd ever leave Yuri behind."

"I told you to cut that out-" began Kimiko.

"I wasn't talking about _you_, Nishimura," Otonashi interrupted. "Natsumi named this cat Yuri."

"Oh. She did, huh?" The girl took a curious look at the cat. "What a...coincidence..."

"Yeah. There's a big difference." Otonashi looked over his shoulder. "And that means Iwasawa and the others are not too far from here."

All of a sudden, the cat leaped out of Otonashi's arms and started sauntering down the street. After going a few yards, it stopped and turned around to look at the teenagers. Then, it continued a couple more feet before stopping again to look at them.

"Uhhh...what's it doing?" Matsushina asked while adjusting the still-unconscious C, who was hanging onto his large back.

"I think..." Otonashi replied before his voice trailed off. He took a couple of steps forward to look at Yuri, who was looking back at him with shining eyes. "I think she wants us to _follow_ her..."

"Follow her?" repeated Kimiko.

"Did you just assume that cat's gender?" Hisako asked flatly.

Yuri then looked ahead and continued onward, prompting Otonashi to follow her on instinct. Angel and Kimiko were quick to follow, while the others hesitated briefly before following as well.

"Great," Royama whispered to himself in disbelief. "We're following a _cat_ now. Can this day get any weirder?"

After about five minutes, the group turned around a corner...and saw the scene of a car crash.

"Apparently it can."

"Hold on a minute, guys," Asahara piped up. He pointed ahead, towards one of the vehicles that were being investigated by the officers. "Isn't...Isn't that our van?"

Otonashi took a close look at it. "It...It _is_..." he replied with realization. He then grabbed Yuri and held her in his arms to stop her from wandering onto the perimeter.

"Okay, that's good news, then!" exclaimed Hinata. "Iwasawa and the others must be somewhere in the area!"

"And Chouko's theory was correct," Kimiko added. "The Tokyo Police HQ is close by, and there's no way that's a complete coincidence."

"If Fujimaki's reincarnated form took them there," Otonashi said, "then that makes our plan to get inside the HQ building even more urgent."

"Alright, then!" The magenta-haired girl faced the others with a determined face. "Operation: Groundhog Day is officially a go, people!"

Asahara blinked with confusion. "I thought it was already a go?"

Kimiko ignored him and began marching on ahead, towards the police officers. Otonashi, Angel, and the others looked at one another before following their fearless leader. At the same time, one of the officers inspecting their wrecked van was the first to notice the approaching group of adolescents.

"_Halt_!" he barked, stopping Kimiko in her tracks. "What're you kids doing out here?! Aren't you aware of the-?!"

"Yes, we're aware of the shelter-in-place order," Kimiko replied with a disapproving roll of her eyes.

"Hey!" the officer's partner snapped, walking up to the teenage girl with a hand instinctively wrapping around the end of his baton. "Watch your tone, young lady! You should-"

"We're so, so sorry, officers!" Otonashi interrupted before the situation could already escalate. "All of us were out on a lil' get-together, but we were outside when the order was given and we-"

"Save your excuses, young man!" The second officer started waving at his colleagues, ushering them over to Otonashi's group. "Regardless of why you're out here, it's not safe. We have no choice but to take you in to the nearest station...w-which so happens to be our main headquarters complex..."

"Oh, how delightful," Kimiko drawled.

"Again, watch your tone, young miss!" snapped the first officer. Then, he shook his head and tutted. "Kids, these days..."

"Hey, is that cat yours?" a third officer asked as he stared at Otonashi and warily kept his distance.

"Uhhhhh..." The redhead briefly hesitated. "Y-_Yeah_..."

"Okay, then!" The officer looked at a younger officer with black hair and dark-blue eyes. "Akasaki, you take this one. I'm allergic to cats."

"Sure thing," the younger officer replied in a voice that was vaguely familiar to Otonashi. He walked over to the redhead and was about to clasp his shoulder when...

"Alright!" a familiar voice called. "I need a status update on the crime scene! ...H-Hey! Hey, why the hell are most of you standing over there?!"

In the corner of his eye, he saw Angel's skin pale even more, which brought a cold shiver down his spine. Then, a couple of seconds later, an astoundingly beautiful woman with sleek black hair and amethyst-purple eyes entered his sights. The uniform she was wearing looked exactly like Igarashi's, and there was a strong air of authority surrounding her. Once this woman set her sights on him and the rest of his group, Otonashi vaguely heard Kimiko's breath hitch.

"Fukuyama-san..." Chouko suddenly said.

"Fukuyama?" Otonashi asked, confused.

"Well, well, well..." the policewoman said, crossing her arms. "Just when I thought I'd be the recipient of _more_ bad news, it looks like this night has had one positive development so far."

"Fukuyama-s-" began Chouko.

"No buts, Chouko-chan." Fukuyama approached the silver-haired girl and gently clasped her shoulders. "Do you have _any_ idea how worried we were about you?!" She then glared daggers at Otonashi and Kimiko. "The same goes for you two as well! What..." She proceeded to scan the entire group. "What're you three doing out here with all these kids?!" Then, she spotted C's unconscious body on Matsushina's back. "What happened to _her_?"

"Sh-She got hit in the head," Matsushina replied quickly. "B-By a door!"

"It doesn't look like she got hit by a door." Fukuyama looked over her shoulder. "I need a medic, quick!"

"Wait a minute..." Hinata whispered to Otonashi. "You guys _know_ this chick?"

"_I_ don't," Otonashi whispered back, "but I guess Takahashi does."

"Quiet!" snapped Akasaki, who stood right behind them.

"You don't understand, Fukuyama-san!" Kimiko cried in desperation, just as a pair of medics arrived on the scene. "This is a matter of life or death! I _have_ to get into that building now!"

She pointed towards the Tokyo Police HQ complex, which towered only a few feet over the rooftops in the short distance. However, her declaration was met with more than a few derisive snickers from the other officers before they were quickly silenced by a stern glare from Fukuyama.

"The only place _you're_ going to is _home_, Kimiko," the woman replied. She briefly watched the paramedics take C's body from Matsushina and load it onto a stretcher before glaring at Otonashi and the others. "And the same goes for all of you kids! Do you have _any_ idea how much trouble you could be in?! I'm not sure what your angle is, but this is not a game!"

"Fukuyama-san," Otonashi said, trying his best to sound like Takahashi, "we believe the leaders of the cult are holed up in that building with Kimiko's siblings."

"The cult's leaders...in the _Tokyo Police HQ_?" After silencing another bout of mocking snickers, Fukuyama stared deeply at the redhead with suspicion. "You sound _pretty_ certain of your claims, Takahashi..."

"Those aren't claims!" snapped Kimiko. "They're the _truth_! The cult is up in your station right now with my siblings and a whole bunch of nukes-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" one of the officers exclaimed. "_Nukes_? _Now_ I've heard everything-"

"I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!" Kimiko looked at Fukuyama with a mix of outrage and desperation. "_Please_, Fukuyama-san! I have to get into that building-"

"You need to relax, Kimiko," interrupted Fukuyama.

"DON'T YOU **DARE** TELL ME TO RELAX WHEN MY SIBLINGS ARE IN THERE, WITNESSING GOD-KNOWS-WHAT!" Kimiko's face was starting to turn florid and manic as she continued speaking. "PLEASE, FUKUYAMA-SAN! PLEASE DON'T TAKE ME HOME! I HAVE TO HELP MY SIBLINGS! I HAVE TO SAVE THEM! I GOTTA PROTECT THEM! I-"

"Look, it does not matter whether or not your siblings are in there."

"HOW COULD YOU **SAY** THAT?!"

"_Listen_ to me, Kimiko. The entire building is locked down regardless. Nobody's going in or out until the all-clear has been issued."

"The entire building's _locked down_?" Hinata repeated questioningly.

"Ukiyo managed to get into the building-" began Fukuyama.

"Ukiyo?" Chouko interrupted, her golden eyes shining with hope. "You mean...Fuuta?"

"Yes. He survived, Chouko, but he's gone manic and escaped the hospital-"

"What about the others?!" Otonashi cried.

"Th-The others?" Then, Fukuyama remembered immediately. "Yes, they were with him when he gained entry, b-but they should be the least of your worries right now!"

"HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT?!" Kimiko shrieked. Tears were now pouring from her eyes. "FUKUYAMA-SAN, MY SIBLINGS ARE ALL IN THERE WITH A BUNCH OF **NUCLEAR WEAPONS**!"

"I understand the urgency of this dilemma, Kimiko, but what you're saying right now is outlandish."

"IT'S NOT OUTLANDISH! THE CULT HAS NUCLEAR WEAPONS, FUKUYAMA-SAN! THEY HAVE ENOUGH TO WIPE JAPAN OFF THE MAP AND THEY'RE GONNA DO IT UNLESS WE STOP THEM!"

To her utter dismay, Fukuyama shook her head in disapproval. "Kimiko...we've got a lot of intel on the cult, and I mean a _lot_...but we have _never_ uncovered _anything_ about the cult possessing nuclear weapons. And, given their resources, there really is no reason to believe they can afford to purchase or even construct such a weapon-"

"But they did," Otonashi snarled. "And that's because their leaders are in the same circle as Sadahiro Hashimoto."

"Sadahiro Hashimoto?"

"Yes. _Please_ tell me you guys already know _he's_ the real leader of the cult."

"Yes, we came to that realization a few hours ago." Then, Fukuyama's eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute. How do you know that?"

"We fou-" Otonashi paused for a second before changing course. "He and his men attacked us at Last Stop Apartments."

"He basically bragged his entire plan to us," added Noda. "Every last detail, the guy just couldn't spare."

Fukuyama's eyes widened. "You kids were attacked at...at Last Stop Apartments?"

"Yes, that's correct," Otonashi replied. "He was trying to take Chouko back, but we wouldn't let him. We had to get away from him, which is why we've been on the run for so long."

"We basically fought our way out," Noda said, right before Otonashi shot him a disbelieving glare.

"You...You _fought_ him?" Fukuyama asked.

"I-It's just a figure of speech!" Otonashi cried, a little too quick in his defense.

Then, the redhead was taken aback by Fukuyama's expression of mounting distrust and suspicion.

** _"Other witnesses are saying these men fought against a group of kids with guns. And get this, it sounds like the kids also had military training or something. It sounded so outlandish, like an anime."_ **

_ **"At this point, even the outlandish must be taken seriously."** _

_"At this point,"_ she thought, _"a lot of weird things have happened. These past twenty-four hours have been nothing but a series of contrived conveniences, one after another. If the witnesses really _weren't_ seeing things..."_

"Officers, search these kids for weapons!" she barked.

"Wait a minute, what?!" Noda cried, just as an officer started patting him down thoroughly. The rest of Otonashi's group was also subjected to the same treatment, Otonashi, Chouko, and Kimiko included.

"We've got something, Fukuyama!" a policewoman called a second later.

"Make that a couple of things..." added a policeman.

"_Interesting_..." Akasaki whispered to himself.

It didn't take long for the officers to recover the firearms (and, in Noda's case, machete) from the adolescents' persons. As soon as the last weapon was taken away from the group, the officers started putting the dangerous items into plastic boxes, with Otonashi and the others being unable to do anything other than watch helplessly.

"Tell me," Fukuyama said, crossing her arms, "where did you kids acquire these weapons?"

"We got 'em off a bunch of cultists," Noda snarled. "So what?"

"So what? That means you kids have some explaining to do on the way home."

Fukuyama then nodded at her fellow officers. They nodded back and began grabbing the teens.

"Yo, wha?!" Royama cried.

"No, wait a minute!" Asahara exclaimed. "You gotta listen to us!"

"Get your hands off me!" Hisako shrieked while a sneering policeman tried to grab her wrist.

All of the teens tried to resist the officers' subjugation, but it immediately proved to be futile. Within seconds, the entire group was under police custody, with the sole exception of Chouko, who simply stood there, calm and motionless.

"NO!" Kimiko cried shrilly, just as the officers began to guide her, Yui, Hisako, Miyuki, and Shiori away. "NO, FUKUYAMA-SAN! YOU HAVE TO LET ME INTO THAT BUILDING! MY SIBLINGS ARE IN THERE! MY **SIBLINGS**!"

"If they _are_ in there, we'll find them. We're doing a floor-by-floor sweep of the HQ to look for Ukiyo-"

"A floor-by-floor SWEEP?! That'll take too long, Fukuyama-san! It'll be too late! You HAVE to let me in the building!"

"I'm sorry, but that's not gonna happen, Kimiko."

"You gotta _listen_ to us, ma'am!" Hinata cried. "We did nothing wrong-"

"Yeah, that's what they all say," interrupted the officer holding him.

"_Please_, Fukuyama-san!" Otonashi cried. Then, he remembered something and tried to capitalize on it. "Wait, y-you work for Igarashi, right?!"

Fukuyama looked at the redhead, puzzled. "Madoka Igarashi? Y..._Yes_..." She quickly cleared her throat. "Ye-Yes, I do. Did you not know that already?"

_"Oh, thank God!"_ Otonashi thought with immense relief. _"She knows what the hell I'm talking about!"_

Then, he said aloud, "What do you think he would say if he were in your position?"

"Look, I don't know what's going on with you tonight, Takahashi. I hear you took quite a hit to the head and now believe you are someone else. I'm glad to see you're doing better, but if you think you can use Igarashi's image to influence me, then you are sadly mistaken. And by the way, he would do what's right by making sure you're all taken home, safe and sound."

"No, he would follow his intuition and look into Kimiko's story!"

"_While_ taking you home safe and sound." She turned her back on the adolescents. "I'm sorry, Takahashi, Kimiko, but you are accomplishing nothing here except getting yourselves into trouble. You're all lucky I hold Igarashi and his police work in high regard." She took a deep breath. "Take them away, officers."

"NO!" shrieked Kimiko as two officers started half-dragging her away. "_NOOOOO_! HOW COULD YOU?!"

"FUKUYAMA-SAN!" roared Otonashi.

"Hey, settle down, Otonashi!" Akasaki barked as he placed Otonashi into a soft choke-hold.

The teens all started struggling even more, forcing additional officers to step in and help drag them away. As for Chouko, she remained standing in place, being the only one in Otonashi's group to not be restrained. A policewoman noticed this and approached Fukuyama.

"Fukuyama-san," she said curiously, "what about Chouko Hashimoto? What're we gonna do with her?"

"Leave her with me," Fukuyama replied. "I will take care of her."

The policewoman nodded and left to investigate the van, leaving Chouko alone with Fukuyama. Once she was sure they were alone, Fukuyama looked over her shoulder to look at the silver-haired girl.

"I understand things have been tough for you these past several hours, Chouko-chan," she said.

"They were," Chouko replied calmly. "But I've moved past it now."

"You...You have, huh...?" Fukuyama blinked with surprise. "I'm...surprised, Chouko-chan, but at least you've made good progress."

"Thank you, Fukuyama-san. Now-" Chouko narrowed her golden eyes intimidatingly. "I need you to let my friends go. We have work to do."

Fukuyama's eyes widened with shock, and she turned around to fully face Chouko. "Chouko-chan, I don't know what you and your friends have been through tonight, but it's gotta stop. I assure you, we will be taking Kimiko's claims seriously, and we _will_ find her siblings. As for the nuclear weapons Kimiko mentioned...I don't know how that's possible but we will look into it too. But I strongly doubt the cult's chances of them being in possession of such devices."

"Of course you do," Chouko replied. "That is why my friends and I are better equipped to deal with this situation. Now..." She ignored Fukuyama's narrowing eyes. "Let my friends go and allow us to enter the building. This is not a request."

Fukuyama huffed with disbelief and turned around. "I can't do that, Chouko-chan." She began walking away. "Now come with me. I'll get you some hot chocolate-"

"Then I'm sorry, Fukuyama-san."

Chouko reverted back into Angel and summoned her Hand Sonic blades. Before Fukuyama could turn around, the silver-haired girl raised the blades high in the air and crossed them.

"_HOWLING_!" she hollered.

Upon hearing that name, Otonashi tore away from Akasaki's grip and yelled, "Everyone, cover your ears!"

Kimiko and the other adolescents instinctively followed Otonashi's instructions. Before the officers could try to subjugate them again, a series of powerful, high-frequency, high-amplitude sound-waves started pulsating from the crossed Hand Sonic blades. Fukuyama and many of the other officers screamed in pain and tried to cover their ears, but the effects of Howling quickly caught up with them. One by one, they collapsed on the asphalt road, unconscious.

"Whoa!" Noda cried as soon as he lowered his hands. "What the hell was _that_?"

"It's one of my Guard Skill abilities," Angel replied while lowering her arms. "_Howling_."

"_Howling_?" Otonashi asked. "Isn't that-?"

"Yes. It's the Guard Skill ability created by one of my clones in the Afterlife."

"You had _clones_ in the Afterlife?" Royama asked. "Okay, I'm super-confused..."

"How'd you manage to learn _that_ ability, Chouko?" asked Otonashi.

"I am Angel again, Otonashi." Angel looked down at one of her Hand Sonic blades with an air of slight curiosity. "Oh, and when I reintegrated my clones with _Absorb_, it appears I retained some of their memories, including how to use _Howling_."

"Well," Asahara replied, "it's a good thing you retained that memory, then."

"Y-Yeah," Hisako added, her voice tinted with disgust as she clutched her forearm protectively. "That creep looked like he was _enjoying_ touching me..."

"Guys, we cannot waste anymore time with exposition!" Kimiko shouted. The magenta-haired girl started running ahead, even jumping over some of the officers' unconscious bodies. "We gotta get inside the Tokyo Police HQ quick!"

"So much for getting ourselves arrested..." grumbled Matsushina.

"Look, Angel can use that new ability of hers to get us through the cops!" Kimiko turned around and saw how concerned the rest of her group was. "_Guys_! We have to stop the cult and save my siblings! There's no more time to waste!"

"She's right," Angel replied.

"I agree," Otonashi added after he quickly considered his options. "We have to act quickly. As long as none of the officers see us, we'll be in the clear."

"Plus Hamada's watching over us with the security cameras!" Kimiko exclaimed. "Now come ON!"

"Okay, okay!" Matsushina replied. "Hold on a moment; I gotta look for Shiina! O-Or C! Whatever her name is!"

"Well, make it quick, you guys!"

"W-We'll get the stuff they seized from us," Hinata volunteered, while Yui nodded vigorously.

As the group scattered around to retrieve C and their weapons, Angel looked down at Fukuyama's unconscious form. She knelt down and placed a hand atop the policewoman's shoulder blade. Then, Angel released a remorseful sigh and closed her golden eyes.

* * *

**Fuuta Ukiyo?  
** **Several minutes later**

"So..." Fuuta said hesitantly, "who _are_ you?"

Naoi looked at him, befuddled. "I just told you, I'm your reincarnated self. Were you not listening?"

"No, I _know_ you're my reincarnated self. It's just..." Fuuta sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I just wanna know the full story behind you. Like...who exactly _are_ you?"

Naoi didn't respond, and instead, he looked up at the tree above them. Fuuta followed his stare and noticed, for the first time, that everything in the surrounding environment was slightly distorted to appear larger than it naturally should have been. It was as if he and Naoi were shrunken in size, or they were actually back to being children...

"Have you ever heard of the name Naoi before, by any chance?" Naoi asked. "Before this whole debacle, I mean?"

"No," Fuuta replied earnestly. "Not at all."

"I'm not surprised. I died in the nineties unloved, so I guess I took the last of my family legacy with me."

Fuuta looked at Naoi with intrigue. "You died in the nineties...?"

Naoi nodded slowly, and a dark look enshrouded his pupils. "It's, uh... It's a long story..." Then, he cleared his throat and continued. "I was born into a family of prestigious potters. And I'm not just talking about the kind of potter who'd sell his creations to tourists on the side of the street like bums. I'm talking about high-end art shows and museum displays. The papers talked about him and his works every month."

"Pottery?" Fuuta asked before recoiling in disgust. "I hate pottery..."

"Really?" Naoi's lips twitched into a subtle smile. "I guess you got that from me, then. Anyway, in any other scenario, my twin brother and I would have been expected to continue the family tradition. But my father was a very traditional man. He believed in fostering the pottery talent of one heir, since dividing his attention on multiple heirs would cramp his style. At least according to him.

"So, my brother was the lucky one. He was the one who got to develop his talent and show it off to all the entitled pricks at art shows. As for me, I was cast aside to the background. No one in my family acknowledged my existence, except for my brother, that is. Not that I minded; I cared very little about my father's work, and he was a huge asshole in his spare time anyway."

"Reminds me of someone I thought I knew..." remarked Fuuta offhandedly.

"But things changed when my brother died." Naoi looked down at his feet, watching the blades of grass that clung to his shoes. "In fact...this is the place where he died..."

"_What_?!" Fuuta looked around. "_Really_?!"

"Yeah. We were playing around, seeing who could reach the highest persimmon when we fell..." Naoi pointed his chin at the rock he had been standing on. "My brother landed headfirst on that rock. I landed on my back in a patch of nice, soft grass right next to it."

"Wow..."

"After that day," Naoi continued, "my dad treated me as a replacement for my brother. It was like I was the one who died and my brother was the one who lived." He let out a dry laugh. "Of course, it was pretty hard, learning how to make shit from clay, but I eventually got the hang of it. When it was my turn to show off my pottery skills to all the entitled pricks, it was like nothing had changed at all for them.

"But to me, it was different. For once in my life, I got to stand in the spotlight. I got to be acknowledged for my efforts. I got to be showered in praise and adoration. Even if my work still had some slight differences from my brother's, no one gave a crap and heaped praise after praise after praise upon me. It...It was a little addicting, to be honest. Of course, all good things must come to an end. And the end came pretty quickly for me."

"Why?" Fuuta asked, his curiosity suddenly piqued. "What happened?"

"My precious father got really sick. There was nothing the doctors could do. So, he spent his last months of life under my care. Ironically, it's when he stopped teaching me about pottery that he also stopped being an asshole. Even so, I could tell he was only sucking up to me because I was the only one who could take care of him. Everyone else was long gone by that point. In the place of an asshole was a pathetic, needy old man who was afraid to die.

"I..." Naoi's cheeks twitched subtly. "I could've just left him all alone, made him pay for all the things he put me through, but...serving at his whim meant getting more praise and acknowledgment... In spite of my better judgment, I continued caring for him, no matter how humiliating and terrible it got, until he died peacefully in his sleep. And that..." Naoi dryly chuckled. "That was when I lost what purpose I had left in my life. I had no family left."

By this point, Fuuta was totally enraptured by Naoi's life story. "Not even a mother?"

"No, not at that point. She died soon after my brother. Nothing to cry about, though. She worshiped the ground my dad walked on. And all my grandparents were dead by the time I had to take care of that bastard. Uncle? Dead before I was born. Aunt...? Who knows where the hell she is right now. Probably better off out there than with my dad, though.

"It was just me. Just me...all alone in that house...with the opportunity to take control of my own life for once resting in my lap. And yet, I was like a frigging zombie for the first couple of weeks after my dad's death. Being acknowledged was like getting nourished to me. Without recognition or acknowledgment, I was...I was _nothing_...

"All of that crippling loneliness, lack of acknowledgment, and time alone must've been what made me realize how...how absolutely _fake_...my life was. How hollow, undeserved, and meaningless the praise had been. It wasn't me those entitled pricks were praising. It was my brother."

"Jesus Christ..." Fuuta replied, astounded. "That...That must've sucked...for a lack of a better word."

Naoi shrugged dismissively. "Yeah, pretty much."

"So..." Fuuta hesitated. "How...How'd you die...?"

"I was about to buy some persimmons when I tripped on the sidewalk." Naoi tapped his forehead twice. "Split my damn head open on a rock...as it should've been."

"Man..." Fuuta gazed at the short, wide rock that was beside him. "And then...you got reincarnated into me."

"Well, not yet. When I died, I went to the Afterlife first. It was-"

"A high school," interrupted Fuuta. "Yes, yes, I know all about the Afterlife."

"Then you should know that, in order to move on, you have to resolve all the unresolved regrets you had in your past life first. Of course, my unresolved regret was not being acknowledged for being me. Otonashi helped me with that. It was a feeling I can never hope to describe...or replicate..."

"Yeah..." Then, Fuuta crossed his arms. "Well, we all know how _that_ worked out. I'm shot and now you're in total control of my body. What the hell _happened_, anyway?"

"I don't know. My impression of the Afterlife's whole system of reincarnation was that it was completely flawless. It has to be if it's always been the way people move on from one life to the next. There is no way any of this could've been the result of a defect in the system."

"So you think this isn't the result of some major coincidence?"

"No. Something must've happened during the reincarnation process of someone in the SSS. Something that was so great and strong that it could override even a natural law of the Universe..." Suddenly, Naoi's voice trailed off, and his red eyes became filled with dread. "Oh, no..."

"Why?" Fuuta became alarmed. "Why, what is it, Naoi?"

"The Angel Player!" Naoi blurted out loud.

"The...The _Angel Player_?"

"It's a computer program responsible for regulating the system of the Afterlife."

Fuuta blinked twice. "Wait, the Afterlife is regulated by...by a _computer program_?"

"Well, it's more of a supplementary thing recently added to the Afterlife. And by recent, I honestly don't know when the Afterlife started having it in the first place. Anyway, treat the Afterlife like the human body. With that, you could consider the Angel Player as its white blood cell system."

"The Afterlife is the human body and the Angel Player is its white blood cells," recited Fuuta. "Okay, I think I understand. The Angel Player goes into overdrive if something's wrong in the Afterlife. Like a sickness, metaphorically speaking."

Naoi nodded. "Yes. In that case, it would be an overabundance of something. For all I know, it could be anything, but in my experience, it was love."

"Love?"

"Love. Once there was too much of it in the Afterlife, the Angel Player unleashed the actual white blood cells to take care of it. Those white blood cells...they're freaky things I can only call Shadows."

"Shadows? I don't like the sound of that..."

"Well, you shouldn't. Once a Shadow catches you in the Afterlife, you're turned into a mindless NPC."

Fuuta was taken aback. "NPC?"

"Non-player character."

"Non-player character? What's that?"

Naoi blinked with suspicion. "Do...Do you play _video games_?"

Fuuta suddenly flashed back to all the times Sadahiro Hashimoto chided him for trying to introduce a number of leisurely hobbies to Chouko.

"From where I come from," he replied slowly, "no..."

Naoi slapped his forehead. "Ah, jeez, who the hell was I reincarnated into?!"

"Hey!" snapped Fuuta.

"Oh, sorry. Okay, you're, uhhhhh, y-you're pretty much turned into a zombie if a Shadow catches you. You _do_ know what a zombie is, right?"

Fuuta crossed his arms. "I'm not _that_ out of tune with the outside world, thank you very much!"

"Okay, so my point is that you do _not_ wanna be caught by one of those Shadows. You might not have any understanding of the outside world ever again. One of my friends in the Afterlife went through that experience. It was...quite a scare. It was a miracle he was revived somehow."

"So...what does the Angel Player have to do with this whole mess, Naoi?"

"I don't know if it has _anything_ to do with this mess, but if it gets wind of what's happening in the real world, who knows what it'll do to rectify it."

"But the Angel Player is in the Afterlife, right?" Fuuta asked. "How could it come into the real world and do its shtick?"

"I don't know either, but there's a lot I never got to find out about the Angel Player. It could be capable of so much more than what I witnessed." Naoi looked up at the towering tree again. "I have to go back. I need to wake up."

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a moment!" Fuuta grabbed Naoi's forearm before he could do anything else. "Promise me you will find a way to get out of my body and let me take control again!"

Naoi stared at his counterpart for a few seconds before giving him a fond smile. "I promise."

"And for the love of God, get that gunshot wound treated, will ya?! I'm NOT coming back only for it to hurt like a bitch!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll make sure to do that too..."

All of a sudden, Naoi started chuckling, puzzling Fuuta.

"What the hell's so funny?" Fuuta asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, sorry," Naoi replied once the chuckling subsided. "It's just, well...you have a lotta spirit, Ukiyo. Whoever you are in the real world, I'm sure you've already been acknowledged for being yourself. I'm...I'm kinda envious, to be honest."

"Me, acknowledged for being myself? HA!" Fuuta then sighed somberly. "Sorry, Naoi... I don't think my luck is any better than yours when it comes to that. I mean, if I had better self-esteem, then my mom would still be alive..."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that, Ukiyo..." Then, Naoi smiled and grabbed the other boy's hand. "Then I'll promise you this as well: after we solve this crisis, I'll help you be more confident in yourself! Just like Otonashi did for me!"

Fuuta looked at Naoi with disbelief. "You...You _will_?"

"Of course, man! It's the least I can do for the person I was reincarnated into!" Naoi flashed him a confident smile. "You can count on me, man! Just trust me to do my thing, and I'll see to it that both of our problems are solved in due time!"

"Gee..." Fuuta looked down at the grass with a soft smile. "Th-Thanks, man... No one's been this kind to me before. Not even my mom could match your generosity..." His eyes shimmered. "Thank you...so much..."

"Hey, don't mention it."

Fuuta looked up...only to see empty air. Gasping in surprise, he looked around, but Naoi was nowhere to be seen.

_"Oh,"_ he thought after a couple of seconds. _"Naoi must've returned to my consciousness."_ Then, he smiled and looked up at the towering tree. _"Okay, then. I shall place all of my faith on you. I'm counting on you to make things right...Naoi."_

The soft breeze continued to blow and rock the small branch directly above him.

* * *

**The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters  
** **Chiyoda, Tokyo**

"Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form..."

Naoi's eyelids slowly fluttered open, his senses occupied by the chant he was overhearing. At first, he did not know what was happening. Then, his memories caught up with him, and he sat up in an almost violent jerk of a motion.

"Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change."

For a moment, his mind lost track of what he was supposed to do. Then, the boy remembered something.

** _"Then I'll promise you this as well: after we solve this crisis, I'll help you be more confident in yourself! Just like Otonashi did for me!"_ **

_ **"Okay, then. I shall place all of my faith on you. I'm counting on you to make things right...Naoi."** _

"Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy."

_"I gotta get to the bottom of this whole thing, quickly,"_ he thought with determination. _"Ukiyo is counting on me to help him regain control of this body. I can't let him down. Not like how I let myself down..."_

"Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life."

Naoi looked towards the cell door. "Yo, Fujimaki!" he called. "Any new-"

"And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits."

Naoi's blood ran cold at the sight. "Hey, hey, what the hell are you doing?!"

A surprised Fujimaki looked behind him, not even bothering to conceal the blade that he was jamming inside the keyhole of the cell door from the outside. As a result, Naoi was quick to notice it.

"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "You...You had _that_ this entire time?! Why didn't you tell us that, Fujimaki?"

At first, the beady-eyed boy looked confused. Then, a sadistic, bloodthirsty grin crept onto his unfamiliar face. The sight of it caused a sudden chill to run down Naoi's spine.

"Uhhhhh, Fujimaki?" he asked. "Wh-What the hell's the matter with you...?"

Then, Fujimaki's next words caused Naoi's heart to stop beating.

"Fujimaki? Who's Fujimaki?"

** _"Hey, you need to be careful around Fujimaki. He may be your friend, but his reincarnated self is nuts!"_ **

**_"_Nuts_?"_**

** _"Yeah! The guy tried to kill me and my friends once. He's a goddamn cuckoo."_ **

_"Oh, shit!"_ Naoi thought in escalating terror. _"This must be the guy Ukiyo and Sekozawa were telling me about!"_

Naoi gulped the moment Fujimaki (or, rather, his reincarnated self) withdrew the rusty blade from the door keyhole...and started advancing towards him. Naoi instantly scrambled over to the corner of the cell, but the other boy wasn't deterred the slightest. There was a terribly manic glint in his eyes, something that terrified Naoi more than anything else.

"Fujimaki!" Naoi called. "Fujimaki, if you can hear me, you can fight it! Come on, man! You can do it!"

"Fujimaki's gone, my man," the other boy replied tauntingly. "Call me...Fuyuhiko Ezakiya."

He then raised the blade high in the air and prepared to strike. However, Naoi reacted more quickly, kicking Fuyuhiko in the crotch and causing the psychopathic boy to reel over in agony. This gave Naoi enough time to run over to Hiroto and Chaa's sleeping forms.

"Chaa!" he called while shaking his friend's body. Then, he did the same to Hiroto. "Sekozawa! Wake up, guys, wake up!"

"H-Huh?" Hiroto was the first to be stirred awake. "Wh-Wha...?"

"Fujimaki's other self took over, Sekozawa! He's trying to kill me! AGH!"

Fuyuhiko had pounced on Naoi, tackling the Mao cap-wearing boy to the floor. He raised his blade and swung it down at Naoi's face, but the other boy moved his head out of the way, causing Fuyuhiko to strike the floor. Then, he used his free hand to grab Naoi's neck and squeeze it tightly. By that point, Hiroto had registered what was happening.

"Oh, crap!" Hiroto cried a couple of seconds before tackling Fuyuhiko off Naoi and to the floor.

"GAH!" Fuyuhiko cried. "You little bastard!"

The manic boy tried to stab Hiroto, but Hiroto grabbed his wrists just in time. This momentary distraction gave Naoi the opportunity to pull out one of his handguns and pistol-whip Fuyuhiko in the head. At around the same time, Chaa sat up and looked around.

"Wha-What happened?!" he exclaimed.

"You just slept there!" Naoi cried with disbelief.

"Sorry, sorry! It's just...I haven't had a good sleep in ages..."

"This is the first time you _slept_ back in the real world."

"Oh, yeah... You're right..." Then, Chaa watched as Hiroto knocked the blade out of Fuyuhiko's hands and then restrained his wrists. "Hold on, what're you doing to Fujimaki?"

"His reincarnated self took over!" Hiroto cried. "Didn't I tell you he was insane?"

"I-I think so..."

Just then, Naoi noticed Hozumi and Tyler gathering around the bars of their cell. He shot up on his feet, outraged.

"TK!" he cried. "What the hell, man?! I thought you said you'd be awake and keeping watch?!"

"H-His name's Tyler-" began Hozumi.

"Sorry, man," Tyler interrupted in English, his head hanging with shame. "Fell asleep on the job, my man..."

Naoi slapped his forehead before shaking his head. "I-It's alright. L-Let's just..."

Just then, an idea dawned on his mind. The Mao cap-wearing boy knelt back down on the floor and grabbed Fuyuhiko as the psychopathic boy snickered malevolently.

"You don't seem all too concerned about being in a police station right now," Naoi snarled. "The Tokyo Police HQ, no less! And you were pretty quick to volunteer being on watch for us while the rest of us slept. And..." Something dawned upon Naoi's mind. "Not to mention..."

** _"H-How about th-the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters?"_ **

"_You_ were the one who suggested coming here."

"Come again?" Hozumi asked.

"We were in a car accident, and Iwasawa and that little girl-"

"Natsumi," corrected Chaa.

"_Natsumi_ needed medical attention. We were gonna get them both to the hospital, but you were the first one to suggest the Tokyo Police HQ. You sounded pretty insistent on that idea too..."

"Guilty as charged," a grinning Fuyuhiko replied nonchalantly.

"Which means..." Naoi narrowed his eyes. "Being in here was all part of your plan, wasn't it?"

"Maybe, maybe not..."

"Whoa, hold on a sec," Chaa piped up. "Does...Does that mean Fujimaki's other self, as in this guy, was in...in charge of his body this _whole time_?"

"Well, he _was_ kinda acting strange," Hiroto replied, his eyes lighting up with understanding. "When I was talking to him earlier, Fujimaki didn't seem to remember he _had_ an alternate self. That must've been because I was actually talking to _him_ and not Fujimaki..."

"You guys sure fell for it too," Fuyuhiko said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

"So you _can_ confirm it was you this whole time!" Naoi snapped angrily.

"No comment."

Naoi began shaking him violently. "What's your plan?! Why'd you take us here?! What did you hope to accomplish?!"

"What makes you think I'm gonna spill the beans! I ain't a traitor!"

"Look, you are not gonna get anything out of him, Naoi," Hiroto said while patting Naoi's shoulder. "Whoever this guy is, he's too far gone for us to reason with him." He stared through the bars of his cell. "For now, the only thing we can do is sit here and hope something happens."

"Go on ahead! Sit there!" Fuyuhiko released a brief cackle. "It sure ain't gonna do you any good when the nukes blow up and fry y'all into teeny-tiny lil' bits!"

"It'll fry _you_ into bits too," snarled Naoi.

"The difference is...I don't give a shit! After all, I'm ready to meet my maker! I'm SO ready to figure out the meaning of all our worthless, miserable lives and then spit at my maker in the face! I'm ready to do all of that and so much more! I am gonna rub it in our maker's face, whether he be God or whatever! The question is...are _you_?"

Naoi narrowed his eyes. "I am, as a matter of a fact."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" Hozumi cried, stunned by Fuyuhiko's earlier words. "What is this I'm hearing about nukes?"

"My people have a bunch of nukes," Fuyuhiko replied while grinning madly. "And we're gonna use them on all of ya sorry losers!"

Hozumi's eyes widened, as did Tyler's. "_What_?!"

"Y-Yeah..." Hiroto replied while sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. "I forgot to mention that to you guys-"

"You...You _forgot_?!" Hozumi clutched his hair in terror. "H-How could you forget to mention something like _that_?! Oh God, oh God, we're all gonna DIE! I've got an entire life ahead of me!"

"A life right in front of ya!" Tyler exclaimed in English.

"Look, _no one's_ gonna die," Naoi replied. Then, he looked across his shoulder to see if any police officers were watching. "Okay, change of plan. We're getting out of here."

"Out of here?" repeated Hozumi. "I-I thought the plan was to stay here?"

"Not anymore. If this guy-" Naoi lifted Fuyuhiko by the collar. "-is trying to get out of his cell, he must have something in mind. Whatever it is, we are gonna get to the bottom of it and stop this cult. But first, we're gonna get the girls outta the nurse's office o-or wherever they're being treated."

"But what about Otonashi and the others?" Hiroto asked. "They're smart. They'll figure out where we are and get to us."

"Well, even if they do, we can't just sit here and wait for them to come and help us out. We have to do something in the meantime, and we're definitely not going to accomplish anything by just sitting in these cells." Naoi looked at Fuyuhiko's blade and grabbed it from the floor. "Come on. We'll use this to escape."

"Well, I guess I'm game," Chaa replied. "If the reason why we're here is because of this guy-" He lightly kicked Fuyuhiko in the shoulder. "Then that means there's something going on. If it's gonna go down while I'm just chilling out here in a cell, then I ain't gonna take that lying down."

"I guess that means I'm game too," Hiroto added. "My only concern is keeping Iwasawa safe, and clearly, she's not safe here."

"Alright, I guess we're in agreement," said Naoi. Then, he looked up at Hozumi and Tyler. "What about you guys? I know you don't know much of what's going on, or what I'm telling you, but we could use all the help we can get."

"Does it look like we have a choice?" Hozumi asked.

"No choice at all, man!" Tyler added, once again in English. "No choice!"

Hozumi looked at his friend. "Tyler, do you _ever_ say anything in Japanese?"

This time, Tyler spoke in Japanese. "Of course, man."

"Oh, thank God-"

"Now let's bail this place!" Tyler cried in English.

"Oh, for the love of!"

* * *

**_"F-Fu-_Fujimaki_?! Wh-What the hell are you _doing_?!"_**

_ **"Okay... Fujimaki, or whoever you are, you don't have to take him. You can take me."** _

_ **"Ah, yeah! How does it feel, bitch?!"** _

_ **"This is my life. I wanted to sing like this. This is why I was born... I wanna save someone, just as I was saved. I've finally...** _ **finally** _ ** found it."** _

Elsewhere, Iwasawa jerked her eyelids open. At first, she saw nothing but bright lights shining in her face, causing her to wince. Then, once her eyesight adjusted itself, the aspiring musician sat up with a groan.

"Ugh... Where...Where the hell am I...?"

_ **"Tell me...what do you think about all of this?"** _

_ **"W-Well...I'm...I'm glad to know more...about the Afterlife...and what happens after death...in general..."** _

_ **"** _ ** _It's...It's what got me interested in death and what happens after. I never really planned to spend my adult life looking into that, but...I just wanted some sort of answer. Something that would put all of my concerns to rest. But I knew the chances of that happening would be zero, so I focused all of my attention on helping others, making sure they don't suffer like I do. I guess that's why I joined Kimiko's club. It gave me the most leeway in helping others at my own capacity. And now, not only do I have the chance to actually make a difference, but it's also given me an opportunity...to find the answers I've always been seeking..."_ **

_ **"We all have our regrets and unresolved conflicts. That's why the Afterlife exists. So we can have our second chance at closing that chapter of our lives before we pass on to the next life. It's a cycle, and the Afterlife keeps it all in balance. That's what happens to us after we die. At least, that's what I've gathered from my experiences... Well, newbie? Does that answer your question for you?"** _

** _"I'm Sekozawa. Hiroto Sekozawa."_ **

** _"Nice to meet you, Sekozawa-kun. I'm Iwasawa. Masami Iwasawa."_ **

** _"Iwasawa... It's nice to meet you too."_ **

"Sekozawa..." she whispered to herself.

Once her memories fully returned to her, Iwasawa looked around and realized she was in some sort of medical room. She would know what one would look like after all...

She reflexively, unconsciously tugged at her wrist, expecting a piece of cloth to be there, but instead, she pinched herself on accident.

"Ow!" she muttered. "Crap, I gotta find Sekozawa and the others..."

Just then, she heard a soft groan coming from the bed next to her. Gazing towards it, she saw a little girl sleeping in it, a slightly uncomfortable look on her face. It took Iwasawa a few seconds to recognize this girl as Natsumi.

"Hey. Hey, uh...damn, what was your name again? Katsumi? Hatsume? Hasumi...?"

The last name suddenly brought a number of unfamiliar memories to Iwasawa's mind.

** _"Need a little help with that, Arata?"_ **

_ **"That's Takahashi for you. He's always dreamed of living in wealth, so naturally, he's this excited."** _

_ **"Ever wonder what it's like to be in the shoes of someone else?"** _

_ **"And ever since what happened back there, I-I just can't stop thinking about my father. He is the only family I have left, and with every passing second, the danger he's in grows by the minute."** _

_ **"Money?! ** _ **Money** _ **?! Is that what you think people are motivated by?! MONEY?!"** _

_ **"I wanted to become a musician so then I can provide brand-new worlds for my fans to escape into, just like music did for me. I want to help people who are just like me, those who feel hopeless, who fail to see the point in life, who cannot yet grasp any sense of true happiness... I want to do that for them."** _

Iwasawa immediately hit herself in the head to dispel her mind of those thoughts.

_"W-What the hell?"_ she thought. _"I didn't say those things. These...These must be the memories of my reincarnated self. I...I don't think I got to know her name..."_

"O-Onii...chan..." Natsumi suddenly moaned, bringing Iwasawa back to reality. The pink-haired girl saw her tossing and turning in her bed, her brow furrowed and her lips tightly pursed.

"Natsumi?" Iwasawa asked, before privately rejoicing in getting the name right. "_Natsumi_?"

But the little girl continued to toss and turn. "Onii-chan, don't go! Please, don't leave me!"

"Natsumi!" Iwasawa started shaking the girl's flailing body lightly. "Natsumi, wake up! It's all just a dream! You're okay! Please wake up, Natsumi!"

Finally, Natsumi's eyes opened, and she shot up on her bed.

"ONII-CHAN!" she screamed. Then, the girl realized where she was and started looking around. "O...Onii-chan...?"

"I'm sorry, Natsumi-chan," Iwasawa replied, catching her attention. "It's just us right now."

At that moment, Natsumi's eyes started to water, which made Iwasawa's heart ache badly. One second later, the younger girl embraced the older one in a tight hug and started sobbing into her shoulder.

"HASUMI-NEECHAN!" she wailed.

_"Oh, no,"_ Iwasawa thought. _"I can't just tell her I'm not Hasumi. She still has barely any idea what's going on..."_

Accepting the present circumstances, Iwasawa simply patted Natsumi's back, making sure every pat was soft and gentle.

"It's okay, Natsumi-chan," the aspiring musician said. "I'm here. I'm here..."

It only took a couple of minutes for Natsumi's wailing to settle down into mere adorable hiccups. Once she did, she asked a question that surprised Iwasawa greatly.

"Hasumi-neechan, can you sing me...one of your songs?"

Iwasawa blinked with disbelief. "One of my...one of my _songs_?"

Natsumi nodded. "Mm-hm. You always sing something to me whenever I feel sad. It makes me feel better..."

"Sing you something..." Iwasawa started to blush with embarrassment. "Aw, jeez... Do-Do I usually sing my songs with a guitar?"

Natsumi nodded again, but then she replied, "You sing good without one, though..."

"Oh, Natsumi-chan...I don't know if I can sing without-"

"Ooh, look!" The little girl pointed over her shoulder. "There's one over there!"

"Huh?!"

Iwasawa looked over her shoulder, and indeed, there was an electric guitar propped up right next to a window. A Sienna Sunburst/Maple Fender Stratocaster, to be more precise. It was facing her, as if it was beckoning her to come and play it. The pink-haired girl stood up and answered its call, walking over to it and picking it up from the grimy floor. The musical instrument felt surprisingly weightless in her hands.

"What...What is _this_ doing here?" she asked, almost to herself. Then, Iwasawa looked beside her and saw the unoccupied desk and chair. "I guess this must belong to the head doctor or nurse here."

"Sing something, Hasumi-neechan!" Natsumi squeaked in excitement. "Sing, sing!"

Iwasawa looked back at the girl and sensed the bubbling enthusiasm coming from her. However, she remained confused and reluctant.

"But...what do you want me to sing, Natsumi?" she asked.

"I dunno. One of your songs!"

"One of my songs... My song..."

Upon gazing into Natsumi's starry pupils, the musician smiled, plugged the electric guitar into the nearest socket...

And then began to play.

"Oooooh..." she sang. "_Iradachi o doko ni butsukeru ka sagashiteru aida niii owaruuuuu hiiiii_. _Sooooora wa haiirooooo o shite sono sakiiiii wa naniii mo mienaiiiii_. _Jouuushiki butteru yatsu ga waratteru tsugi wa donnnna uso o iuuuuuuu_?"

"YAY!" Natsumi cheered while clapping. "I don't think I've ever heard _this_ song before!"

Then, she realized she spoke too loudly and fell silent right after. Fortunately, this did not deter Iwasawa one bit.

"_Sooooore de eraretaaaaa mono daiji niii kazaaatte okeruuuuu nooo_?_ Demo asuuuuu e toooo susumanakya naranai_._ Daaaaakaraaaaa kouuu utau yoooooooooo_..."

* * *

**_"_Naiiiiiteruuuuu_..._kimi kosoooooooooo_..._kooooodoku naaaaa_..._kiiiiimi koso_._** ** Tadashiiiii yooooo_..._ningen rashii yoooooooooo_._** ** Otoshitaaaaa_..._namida gaaaaaaaaaaa_..._kouuu iu yo_._** ** Kooooonna ni mo utsukushiiiiiiiiiii_..._uso ja naiiii_..._hontou noooooooooo_..._bokura oooooooooo_..._arigatou_."_**

"_HOWLING_!"

Otonashi and the rest of his group covered their ears and watched as more officers collapsed to the ground, unconscious. With a deep breath, Angel lowered her Hand Sonic blades and scanned the motionless bodies for anyone still moving. As soon as she didn't detect any movement, she looked over her shoulder with a stoic expression.

"It's all clear," she said. "Let's go."

Otonashi and the others lowered their hands and followed the silver-haired girl towards the Tokyo Metropolitan Police HQ. As they ran towards the building complex, Otonashi and Kimiko both looked up at it, their burgundy and sea-green eyes gleaming in anticipation.

_ **"Hey, hey, heeeeey... Ahhhhh, ahhhhhhhhhh..."** _

* * *

"Move it!"

Naoi roughly shoved Fuyuhiko forward while Hiroto, Chaa, Hozumi, and Tyler trailed behind the duo. Hiroto was watching Fuyuhiko with apprehension, while the others were on the lookout for any suspicious officers. However, there was no real need for any of them to worry since the hall they were taking was mostly empty, with the only officers present engrossed in conversation.

"Hey, why're we bringing this guy along, man?" Hiroto asked.

"He knows something," Naoi replied while he kept his gun surreptitiously trained on Fuyuhiko's back. "And we're going to find out what. Plus he'll be good leverage if we come across someone working in the cult."

"Do you even know where we're going?" Hozumi asked.

"Yes. First thing's first, we're going to the medical bay."

"The medical bay?"

"Yeah. Iwasawa and Natsumi should be there. With any luck, they'll be awake, and they can come with us. The more, the merrier."

"I-I honestly don't know if bringing a kid along in this mess is a good idea-" began Chaa.

"Look, we can't just leave her alone here," Naoi interrupted. "We don't know what the cult has planned for this pla- Hey, stop your laughing!"

He shoved the barrel of his gun closer to Fuyuhiko's back, cutting off his malicious snickering. However, this threatening gesture did nothing to daunt the psychotic boy.

"You underestimate us and our tenacity," Fuyuhiko said with a sneer. "You're at the epicenter of a world-changing event, one that'll thrust the future of this country in a new and improved direction!"

"Keep dreaming."

"Oh, I think I will! And I think my dreams will start with me gettin' a hare-"

"Hey, shut up," Hiroto interrupted.

"Scratch that, I think I'm gonna start with cutting you punks up-"

"Shut up!"

"Make me, bi- AGH!"

Naoi silenced the psychopath by pistol-whipping him lightly in the side of the head. Then, he looked back at Hiroto, only to realize the other teenage boy's head was perked up and at attention.

"Why, Sekozawa?" Naoi asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"Shhh, shhhhh!" Hiroto raised a hand, silencing everyone else, even Fuyuhiko. "I hear something!"

At first, Naoi was confused by what he meant. Then...

"_Kanaetai yume ya todokanai yume ga aru koto_."

"Do you hear that?" Hiroto asked.

"Yeah, I hear that too," replied Naoi, while Chaa, Hozumi, and Tyler nodded in agreement.

"_Sore jitaiii gaaaaa yumeee ni nari kibouuu niiiii nari hito wa iiiiikite ikerun daaaro_."

"That voice..." Naoi said in wonder. "It's-"

"Iwasawa!" Hiroto cried as he rushed forward.

"Wh-Wha?!" Chaa exclaimed in surprise. Then, he grabbed Fuyuhiko's shoulder and half-dragged him along, while Naoi, Hozumi, and Tyler followed them. "Sekozawa, wait for us!"

"_Tobira waaa aruuuuu soko deee matte iru_._ Daaaaakaraaaaa te o nooooobasu yooooo_."

It did not take long for Naoi, Hiroto, and the others to find the medical bay. As soon as they reached the doorway, Hiroto took the initiative and swung the door open.

The first thing they saw was Iwasawa standing in the middle of the room, an electric guitar in her hand. She was playing it with her eyes closed, while her body swayed to and fro with her voice as she sang.

"_Kujiketaaaaa_..._kimi ni waaaaaaaaaa_..._mouuuuu ichidooooo_..._tatakaaaaaeruuuuu tsuyosa tooooo_..._jishin tooooooo_..._kono uta oooooooo_._ Otoshitaaaaa_..._namida gaaaaa_..._kouuuuu iu yooooo_._ Kooooonna ni mooo yogoreteeeee_..._minikuiiiii_..._sekai deeeeeeeeee_..._deaetaaaaa_..._kiseki niiiiiiiiii_..._arigatou_."

Naoi, Hiroto, Chaa, Hozumi, Tyler, and even Fuyuhiko stared on in bewilderment. Then, Iwasawa continued playing a few more notes and humming beautifully like an angel...before finally concluding the song.

Once she was done, Iwasawa looked down at the electric guitar with a fond smile. Hiroto gulped at the sight.

_"That was..._beautiful_..."_ he thought.

Just then, the silence was broken by tiny clapping. Naoi's group looked towards one of the beds, where they saw a young girl sitting there, wildly flapping her hands together in applause.

"YAY!" the girl cried. "That was a good song, Hasumi-neechan!"

Chaa smiled with relief and burst into the room. "Natsumi-chan!"

The girl looked over her shoulder and smiled at the newcomer. "Chazawa-san!"

Meanwhile, Iwasawa noticed the other boys standing in the doorway. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"_TK_?!" she cried. "_Ōyama_?!"

"_Iwasawa_?" Hozumi replied in bewilderment.

The level of familiarity in Hozumi's voice stunned Naoi. The Mao cap-wearing boy took the smaller boy's face and turned it towards him. As soon as their eyes met, Hozumi's widened again.

"And _Naoi_?!" he cried.

Naoi's jaw dropped open. "_Ōyama_? You're...You're _back_?"

"Hell yeah, man!" TK suddenly cried in English. "We back, yo!"

* * *

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's official, everyone! Two more members of the SSS have made their triumphant return: TK and Ōyama! Now we have three more SSS members to go before the grand finale! And speaking of grand finales, the groups are beginning to converge upon the Tokyo Police HQ! Whatever will happen there? Stay tuned to find out! :D
> 
> Also, I hope you enjoyed Iwasawa's song. Brings a tear to my eye every time I her it. :')
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	33. The Wings of an Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 31: THE WINGS OF AN ANGEL**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - ** _ **Post-Afterlife Name** _

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Takamatsu - _Takayoshi Asahara_

Yusa - _Rikana Egami_

Eri Shiina - _C_

* * *

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* * *

**Yunokawa Household  
** **Current Meeting Place of the Global Awareness Club**   
**Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"Look, Hamada," Yuuji said with growing exasperation, "I don't know what your angle is, but please! For the love of God, stop fooling around and g-get the Tokyo Metropolitan Police off our damn trail!"

"I'm afraid I cannot," Takeyama replied. "This laptop and its software are inferior to the ones I am accustomed to."

"If it's inferior, Hamada, then that means it should be that much easier for you to use, right?! A-And wh-wha-whaddaya mean _inferior_?! You've been using the same laptop for frigging AGES!"

"I _have_?" Takeyama looked down at Hamada's laptop. "Strange. The very touch of it is foreign to me..."

"What're you _doing_, Hamada?! Are you seriously _trolling_ around right now?! Stop it and get _serious_, man, please! For the love of God, we're gonna get _arrested_!"

"Calm down." Takeyama coolly adjusted his eyeglasses. "Now, three things for me to point out. First thing: this laptop _is_ an easy task for me. A painfully easy one, might I add. But when I say it and its software are inferior, I mean that there's nothing I could do. The moment the Tokyo Police caught on to our signal, they've latched onto it and they're never gonna let go. They already know where we live, and I can't do anything to divert their attention."

Yuuji felt his heart drop. "So you're saying it's useless?"

"Correct. Either we escape or we accept the inevitable."

"We can't escape. My mom and dad are gonna see us on the way out, a-and I don't even have an explanation for them!" The boy buried his face in his palms. "Not when the cops are already on their way! Ohhhhh, my mom and dad are _soooo_ gonna kill me and Onii-chan a-and dance on our graves-"

"Second thing," interrupted Takeyama. "I'm not trolling you right now. I seriously don't know who this Hamada person is that you're referring to."

"Are you-?!" began Yuuji.

"Yuuji-kun, honey!" called the singsong voice of Yuuji's mother. "Is everything alright up there?"

"Y-Yeah!" Yuuji replied while sweating bullets. "W-We're alright, Mom! J-Just a lil' hitch in the operation, th-that's all!"

"Okay! Just let me know if you or Hamada-kun need anything!"

"Okay, Mom!" Yuuji wiped his forehead, glared back at Takeyama, and angrily whispered, "Are you frigging _serious_ right now?"

"Yes, I'm serious," deadpanned Takeyama.

"Dead serious?"

"Dead serious. I _just_ told you that I'm not trolling you. My name is Takeyama. Mitsuhiro Takeyama."

Yuuji stared blankly. "Who the hell is Mitsuhiro Takeyama?!"

"Only the greatest hacker the Afterlife has ever seen. Which leads me to my third point." Takeyama calmly refocused on Hamada's laptop. "Would you please call me Christ?"

"I'm not calling you shit until you explain what the hell's really going on, Hamada!" Then, Yuuji clutched his head. "Ohhh, my God! We're gonna get arrested and thrown in jail, a-and all you have to say for it is nothing but requesting me to call you Jesus H. Flipping Christ!"

"Only 'Christ' will suffice," Takeyama remarked flatly.

"God!" Yuuji rubbed his temples in distress. "I can't believe this is happening right now! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, we're so _screwed_!"

Takeyama calmly looked up at the boy. "Calm down, man. Do not lose hope. As long as you're with me, Christ, then you have nothing to worry about."

A split-second later, the two teens heard the front door to the Yunokawa home burst open, followed by a loud voice.

"POLICE! GET DOWN!"

"But yeah," Takeyama remarked, his voice still calm. "We're kinda screwed right now."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!" squeaked Yuuji.

* * *

"Do you...even know where...you girls are...are going...?"

"Of course we do!"

Elsewhere, Rikana Egami, Sachiyo Sugisata, and Officer Sekine were stealthily walking down the sidewalks of Nishitōkyō, being on the lookout for anything even remotely suspicious. Rikana and Sachiyo were no longer wearing their handcuffs, and the former was now wielding the New Nambu 60 revolver Sekine handed to her. The trio had been walking for hours, which showed from Sekine's mounting exhaustion.

"Look..." panted Sekine. "Why...are we...in this neighborhood?"

"Look," Rikana replied, "our instructions were to distract the police long enough for our friends to do their thing and then regroup back here. That is, if we weren't arrested."

"Jeez... Didn't know...it'd be..._that_ far...from...the hospital..."

Sachiyo rolled her eyes with disbelief. "How could you be exhausted _already_? Doesn't the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, you know...give you regular exercise training?"

Sekine stopped for a moment to clutch his knees. "The department has a training exercise every other month."

"Every other month...?" Rikana repeated disbelievingly.

"I heard it used to be monthly, but...you know, budget cuts-"

"Budget cuts," Sachiyo interrupted. "Of course."

Sekine snapped his head upward. "Hey! We try our best, alright?! Take your concerns up with the government, not how the department chooses to organize itself!"

"You can't even accept even _some_ responsibility for your shortcomings," Rikana spat. "And you still call yourself a police officer..."

"Goddamn, what will it take for me to convince you kids that I'm not representing my entire department?!"

Before Rikana could respond, Sachiyo suddenly grabbed her wrist and yanked her behind some nearby bushes in a front yard. Sekine stood there for a couple of seconds, stunned by the sudden move, before slowly, awkwardly following them behind their makeshift shelter.

"Sugisata!" Rikana snapped. "What was th-?!"

Sachiyo pressed her index finger upon Rikana's lips, silencing the blonde girl. Then, she slowly, quietly peered above the bushes, her eyes narrowed in their scrutiny. Intrigued, Rikana and Sekine did the same. As soon as they did, they saw the Yunokawa household, just a couple of homes away. The front yard was crowded with police officers, all of whom had their revolvers drawn.

"Huh," Sekine remarked. "I assume that was supposed to be your rendezvous point."

"Oh, no..." Rikana whispered with worry. "They must've traced Hamada's signal."

"Hamada? Who's Hamada?"

"A friend of ours. He-" She hesitated briefly, pondering her next words. "He's the one who hacked into your department's system."

"Oh yeah, I think I remember hearing about that. So your friend is the hacker, huh? He must be quite skilled."

"Not really," Sachiyo deadpanned. "Your system's defenses were just pretty easy for him to get through. I assume it was another one of your budget cuts?"

"I'm not really knowledgeable about computers and all of that...but I would assume so."

"Typical."

Just then, Rikana, Sachiyo, and Sekine watched as the front door to the Yunokawa house burst open. Just a second later, two police officers left of the house, each of them escorting a handcuffed teenage boy. One of the boys was younger and had blue hair; he looked like he was about to cry. The other boy was much calmer in comparison; he wore a pair of shiny glasses and looked a little pompous. Following the quartet was another police officer carrying a familiar laptop.

"Oh, no," whispered Rikana. "Hamada...and Yuuji-kun too..."

"Naotatsu's gonna flip when he hears about this," Sachiyo commented.

"Don't say anything, Yuuji!" a male voice called loudly, and the discreet trio watched as an adult couple left the house as well. The man was wearing an outraged expression, while his wife was silently weeping. "Don't say anything until we get you and Hamada-kun a lawyer!"

"Well, that's just great," Sachiyo whispered. "_Now_ what are we gonna do?"

All of a sudden, Sekine stood up, revealing himself from the bushes and stunning the two girls.

"Don't worry," he said. "Leave it all to me, girls."

"Wh-_What_?!" Rikana cried. "What're you-?!"

The girls tried to stop him, but Sekine had already walked away from them and approached the group of officers as they were still taking in Yuuji and Touya. Without anything else to do, Rikana and Sachiyo simply kept themselves concealed behind the bushes.

"What do ya think he's gonna do?" Sachiyo whispered to Rikana. "Rat us out? Tell them where we are?"

"Well, he's been cooperative with us so far..." the blonde girl replied. "He wouldn't have risked his job by letting us go. I say we should watch and see what happens next. And if he does rat us out, then we can just make a run for it." A poker-face suddenly entered her expression. "I mean, he _did_ just admit the department only gives its officers physical training every other month."

"True, true... Plus, we still have his gun."

"Yeah, that's right..."

Rikana and Sachiyo fell silent again and continued watching as Sekine began conversing with the other officers. After just a few seconds, the two officers holding Yuuji and Touya handed both boys to Sekine, much to the girls' immense surprise and relief. Then, they watched as the officers started to leave while Sekine pulled out a notepad and started scribbling in it. None of the other officers seemed to wait around for Sekine to take Yuuji and Touya into a police cruiser.

Once the last cruiser left, leaving Sekine in the front yard with the boys and Yuuji's parents, Rikana and Sachiyo saw this opportunity to emerge from their hiding place and run to them. As they did, Touya's eyes widened strangely at the sight of Rikana, Yuuji's mother stopped crying, and Yuuji's father looked confused.

"Wait a minute, Officer?" the man asked. "You're...You're not going to bring my son in...?"

"Well, it depends on how long these arrests are gonna remain on my colleagues' minds..." Sekine replied as he put away his notepad. "And I assure you both, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police is very busy with more pressing matters."

"Wait, what does that mean?" Yuuji's mother asked hopefully. "You're not gonna arrest my son?"

"That depends."

"On what?" asked Yuuji's father.

"If your son and his friends will be instrumental in bringing down the cult once and for all."

"The...The _cult_?" Yuuji's father crossed his arms, and his eyelid twitched in anger. "Is _that_ what you've been doing, Yuuji-kun?!"

Yuuji winced at his father's barking tone, prompting Rikana to step in.

"Not exactly, sir," she said. "We've been mounting a rescue operation."

"A...A _rescue_ operation?!"

Then, Yuuji's mother gasped with realization. "Are...Are you talking about Nishimura's sisters and brother?!" she cried.

Rikana nodded with narrowed eyes. "Yes, that's right."

"Are...Are you kids _insane_?!" Yuuji's father snapped. "Do you have _any_ idea how dangerous that is?!"

"They are," Sekine replied, "which is why _I'm_ watching over them."

"Y-You CAN'T be ser-"

"Oh, I'm afraid I _am_ serious, sir. Now, then..." Sekine stared at the garage. "I am gonna need to borrow your vehicle, sir. It's official police business."

* * *

**The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters  
Chiyoda, Tokyo**

"Sir."

Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei's heads perked up at the first word they heard after minutes of deafening silence in the dimly-lit security room. They watched as a police officer approached Yamashita, the cultist with the golden cloak and the dead rabbit as a necklace. Yamashita didn't budge even one centimeter, instead keeping his eyes trained on the many security monitors behind him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"W-We have a, uh...a _situation_ down at the outer perimeter," the officer replied hesitantly.

Yamashita still didn't budge. "Well then, take _care_ of the situation."

"Th-That's the thing, though... W-We can't get in touch with our contacts in the outer perimeter."

"You're a police officer, right?" asked Yamashita. He didn't say anything else, causing the officer to realize the lead cultist was expecting a response from him.

"Y-Yes, sir. I-I am, s-s-sir."

"Then contact any other officer that doesn't have any affiliation with us. They'll listen to a colleague like you. Tell them to go look into it."

"Th-That's part of the problem too, sir."

Finally, Yamashita twitched. After a brief period of deadly, unbearable silence, he looked over his shoulder and regarded the officer with his scarlet eyes. They shone even brighter with the light of the security monitors, which caused the poor officer to subtly flinch.

"Are you telling me..." Yamashita replied slowly, "that you're losing contact with your colleagues from left to right?"

"Y-Ye-Yeah... I-I'm trying to contact people to investigate the outer perimeter, but no one's responding. A-And I've begun to hear, uh, c-chatter of people breaking through the inner barricade around this building. I-I think you should review the security footage, see what's up."

Yamashita pursed his lips before refocusing on the security monitors, which were showing live feeds of various angles of the headquarters complex, both its exterior and interior. He pressed some buttons, and some of the live feeds switched over to the lobby area and the area directly outside.

To his utter shock and confusion, he saw a group of adolescents running through the area. One of them, a silver-haired, petite girl, was in the lead, and she was carrying what appeared to be large blades. Every time police officers attempted to stop the group from progressing, the silver-haired girl would raise her blades and cross them, which would somehow trigger the officers to faint within split-seconds.

"What in the world...?" Yamashita asked with a mixture of stunned confusion and seething anger.

"Well, that's not good," the officer remarked with vague awe.

"You _think_?"

Just then, the golden-cloaked man spotted something on the monitors. With his eyes narrowing, he zoomed the largest monitor in on the adolescents as they rushed past the collapsing bodies of the police officers. Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei stared at the monitor and saw who it was that had piqued their captor's interest.

"ONEE-CHAN!" Kaisei cried happily.

"She...She _came_..." Naomi said with awe.

However, Yamashita smirked. "Well, well, well... Now this just got _interesting_..."

"Wh-What do you want us to do with the intruders, sir?" the corrupt officer asked.

"I don't want you to do _anything_ to them. They're here for these three, right?" Yamashita stared malevolently at Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei. "Well then, we'll give them a chance to take them."

"A...A chance to _take_ them?"

Yamashita initially didn't respond. Instead, the golden-cloaked man approached the Nishimura siblings and pulled out a Bowie knife. Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei shrunk in terror at the sight of its long, silver blade, which gleamed from the dim light of the security monitors.

"Change of plans," Yamashita said. "Get in contact with all of your colleagues who are not involved in our plans and are still conscious. Redirect them down false trails. Then, dispatch the emergency response tactical unit. Once they intercept Nishimura and her little group of friends, our followers are to establish contact between me and her. I have some terms I wish to discuss with Nishimura."

His smirk transformed into a wide, toothy grin.

"_Alone_."

* * *

"Well, this was frigging easier than I expected!"

Noda looked around him gleefully while covering his ears and those of Natsumi's cat Yuri. From left to right, officers were collapsing, and not a single shot was fired in the lobby. Once the last officer collapsed, he lowered his hands, allowed Yuri to hop off his lap, and glanced at Angel, who was lowering her Hand Sonic blades.

"Why didn't we think of this before?" he asked.

"I wasn't sure if I still had this ability in my reserves..." Angel replied stoically while looking up at the lobby ceiling. "But when we were about to be taken into custody, I had no choice but to try it out."

"Alright, everyone!" Otonashi cried after he, Hinata, and Asahara were all finished checking the front desks. "It looks like we're all in the clear! Let's keep moving!"

"I don't think so!" a new voice barked.

Startled, the redhead looked over his shoulder and saw a group of police officers rushing towards them. All of them were wearing full suits of body armor, carrying ballistic shields and black assault rifles, and...wearing large earmuffs. Otonashi instinctively aimed his pistol at them, but the team leader shouted at him and the others, stopping him cold.

"Drop your weapons and put your hands above your heads where we can see them! You budge a centimeter and we _will_ shoot you!"

"You don't understand, Officer!" Kimiko cried in desperation.

"I think I understand _just_ fine, young lady! Drop the goddamn weapons!"

Left with no other choice, the entire group of teenagers acquiesced. Several guns clattered to the floor loudly, the noises echoing in the lobby. As for Matsushita, who still had C slung over his shoulders, he gently laid the unconscious teenager to the floor, making sure his movements were slow and careful.

"Well, this is _great_," Royama whispered as his trembling hands shot up. "We're gonna get arrested for real this time. Just perfect."

"_Now_ what do we do?" Noda asked.

"They are protecting their ears," added Angel. "They must've caught on to what my _Howling_ Guard Skill is and taken the appropriate countermeasures." She lowered her face while raising her arms. "I'm useless right now, guys. I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Angel," Otonashi replied consolingly. "We'll find another way."

Once everyone had their hands raised above their hands, the officers lowered their weapons, allowing the team leader to step forward.

"Now then," he said, "which one of you is Kimiko Nishimura?!"

Kimiko clenched her teeth as she stepped forward. "That would be me, asshole."

"I recommend you watch your mouth, Nishimura. Especially when your siblings' lives are at risk." Then, all of a sudden, the officer grinned malevolently. "Tell me, d'you remember this? Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form."

As the leader continued speaking in a chant, the rest of his team joined in. Their voices echoed throughout the lobby in some sort of eerie chorus.

"Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change. Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy."

Upon hearing those words, Kimiko's eyes widened with horror, as did the rest of the teenagers'.

"Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life. And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits."

Once the chanting ceased, the leader spoke again. "Well, whaddaya think? Neat, huh?"

Kimiko's horror was instantly replaced with outrage. She clenched her fists so tightly that she threatened to draw blood from her palms.

"You're..." she snarled in a trembling voice. "_You're_ all part of the cult?"

The officer chuckled. "Cult? Well, if you put _that_ way, I suppose so. But...my colleagues and I imagine ourselves as being part of a more..._civilized_ group."

"Civilized, my ass! Tell me where my sisters and brother are, you bastard!"

"Yeah, you tell 'em, Yuri!" Noda blurted out.

Just then, the officer's grin widened. "Oh, we'll tell you, alright. In fact, we can do better than that. We can _take_ you to them, Nishimura."

"Wh-_What_?" Kimiko asked with disbelief.

"WHAT?!" shouted Otonashi and Hinata at the same time.

"Yes," the corrupt officer replied. "You see, our new boss is quite generous, and he doesn't want to see all this bloodshed continue. Especially if the blood that is being shed belongs to you and your friends."

"_Bloodshed_?" Noda barked. "HA! It's gonna be more than bloodshed if your new boss continues to have his way!"

The officer's expression didn't waver, but he asked, "I don't the _faintest_ clue of what you're blabbering about-"

"D'you calling nuking Japan 'bloodshed'?! Yeah, I don't think so!"

A tense silence filled the lobby. Otonashi was quick to notice some of the other tactical officers fidgeting apprehensively, but once again, the leader didn't exhibit any discernible reaction for a few seconds. Then, he sighed with disappointment.

"Excuse me." With that, he produced a walkie-talkie, pressed a button, and spoke into it. "Boss?"

After a couple of seconds, a voice responded, _**"What's happening, Chisaka? You know I'm observing you through the security cameras. Why are some of your officers looking nervous?"**_

"Sir, they know about our nuclear devices."

There was another brief silence. Then, the voice said, _**"Give the walkie-talkie to Nishimura."**_

The team leader acquiesced, approaching Kimiko and stuffing her hand with the small communication device. With that, she pressed the same button and asked, "H-Hello...?"

_ **"How'd you know about our nuclear weapons?"** _

The magenta-haired girl narrowed her eyes. "We read your boss's files! So what makes you think we, or I, could trust a single word that comes out of your mouth?!"

** _"Oh, but do you not want to ensure the safety of your dear siblings?"_ **

Kimiko's blood ran cold. "My...My siblings...?"

All of a sudden, a new voice emerged from the walkie-talkie. Otonashi, Hinata, and Noda gritted their teeth, while many of the others grimaced with grief and sympathy.

_ **"ONEE-CHAN!"** _

Kimiko's grip on the walkie-talkie tightened. "K-Kaisei-chan?! I-Is that you?!"

_ **"Onee-chan, please listen to what he says! ** _ **Please_!"_**

"O-Okay, Tamika-chan, I will! I will! Don't be afraid, you guys! I'm coming to get you!"

_ **"Onee-chan, it's a tr-"** _

Naomi's voice was cut off, causing Kimiko's heart to stop. "Naomi?!" she cried. "Tamika-chan?! Kaisei-chan?! HELLO?!"

Then, the sinister voice spoke again. _**"Nishimura."**_

Kimiko gritted her teeth, her fury threatening to boil over. "TELL ME WHERE MY SIBLINGS ARE, YOU SICK BASTARD!"

**_"Oh, but as I'm sure my colleague just mentioned, I am willing to lead you to them. I'm much more merciful than Hashimoto ever was, and I am willing to come to some sort of arrangement involving the release of all three of your precious siblings..._and_ our plans for the nuclear weapons that you were smart enough to learn all about."_**

"No way, man!" snapped Noda. "We ain't takin' any deals from bastards like you!"

Noda was then intimidated into silence by a shot to the ceiling by one of the tactical officers. Right afterwards, the group could hear a tutting sound coming from the walkie-talkie.

_ **"I was ** _ **not** _ ** talking to you, you rowdy child. Anyway, Nishimura, I wish to negotiate the terms of my humble arrangement with you...but I must negotiate with you alone. None of your friends are allowed to follow or assist you in any way."** _

**"BULLSHIT!"**

Noda's cry was followed by shouts of agreement and defiance from most of the others.

"Yuri or not, she's not going anywhere without us!" Hisako exclaimed.

"How the hell can we trust you?!" snapped Matsushita.

"You guys _reek_ of double-dealing from a mile away!" Yui called.

"They're trying to trick you, Nishimura!" cried Hinata. "Don't listen to them!"

"Nishimura, you can't _possibly_ think any of this is true!" shouted Otonashi.

The teenagers' explosive outburst was silenced by a short volley of bullets fired at the ceiling by two of the other officers. The team leader scowled at Otonashi and the others before refocusing on Kimiko.

"You can trust him, Nishimura," the officer said. "Unlike Hashimoto, Yamashita is not consumed by the idealistic ambition for a better Japan. He is more rooted in reality and would rather allow this crisis to come to an amicable end than permit the senseless annihilation of millions of lives."

"Senseless?!" Asahara suddenly cried. "_Senseless_?! My father... My father and so, so many others have died at the hands of _your_ cult, and _now_ you are calling your actions senseless?! Only when you are at an advantage you call your barbaric, despicable actions SENSELESS?!"

Then, the bespectacled boy tried to charge at the officers, but he was restrained by the combined efforts of Yui, Hisako, Miyuki, and Shiori.

_**"My, my, Nishimura,"**_ Yamashita said. _**"You sure have tenacious friends. It is admirable...and yet so **_**dangerous**_** for the well-being of your siblings. After all, if you brought your friends with you and one of them snaps like that again, the consequences would be, well, disastrous."**_

"It's a _trap_, Nishimura!" Otonashi cried. "Don't _listen_ to him!"

However, Kimiko's hands were shaking. "But...it's...it's the only way..." she said, her voice almost inaudible.

"No, Kimiko! You can't be-"

"Well, I AM!" The girl twirled around and stared daggers at Otonashi, who recoiled under her furious gaze. "These are my siblings we're talking about, Otonashi! My _siblings_! You wouldn't let me _save_ them, no matter what it takes?!"

"I _would_, Kimiko, but-"

"NO, YOU DON'T!" Kimiko's grip on the walkie-talkie tightened even more. "You're just afraid that if something happens and I get killed, you're gonna lose your friend! You don't give a DAMN about me! Huh?! Isn't that right?!" She glared at the rest of the group. "ISN'T THAT RIGHT?!"

"That's not right at all, Kimiko! It's just-"

"No, Otonashi," Angel suddenly said. Ever since the tactical team had entered the lobby, her calm expression had refused to waver. "Let her go."

"Let her-?!" Otonashi's voice choked for a second. "Let her _go_?"

Angel didn't respond. Instead, she nodded at Kimiko with understanding. "It's alright, Nishimura," she said. "You go find your siblings and save them. We'll find another way."

"_What_?!" Otonashi and many of the others chorused.

Kimiko stared incredulously at Angel, her mind trying to process the petite girl's request. Then, her expression hardened, and she nodded respectfully at her. Finally, she spoke into the walkie-talkie again.

"Alright, I'm coming...Yamashita," she said. "If you do anything weird, _anything_ at all-"

_**"I understand,"**_ Yamashita interrupted. _**"No funny business, I promise."**_

"Goddamn it," grumbled Noda. "Just _listen_ to that voice! This jackass reeks of shadiness, I tell ya."

Kimiko released the button on the walkie-talkie and handed the device back to the team leader, who took it with a smile of approval. She took one last look over her shoulder at Otonashi and the others.

"Alright," she said. "I'm ready to go."

"Excellent," the officer replied. "Now, to make sure your friends don't follow us, some of my team will escort them out of the building-"

"So you can shoot them?" Kimiko looked back at the tactical team. "They can escort themselves out on their own, thank you very much."

"Well, Nishimura, we can't afford to jeopardize the safety of your siblings, now would we?"

"And _I_ can't afford to know I traded the lives of my friends for my siblings."

"_What_?!" Hinata cried. "Whatever happened to us not giving a damn about-?!"

"I wasn't talking about you guys _specifically_, Hinata. God, have you guys already forgotten you've been _reincarnated_ into the bodies of my friends?!"

"Oh..." Hinata looked down at his body. "Oh yeah, that's right..."

Kimiko addressed the team leader again. "My friends leave on their own, with none of your guys following them. If your boss is promising no funny business, then I want you to give me your word on that. Do we have a deal or not, bozo?"

The officer stared into Otonashi's burgundy eyes, and the redhead started back unflinchingly. Then, with pursed lips, the man shrugged his shoulders.

"Very well. I don't have time to negotiate trivial matters such as this, anyway." He snapped his fingers, prompting all of his subordinates to leave the lobby in a single-file line. "If you would kindly follow us, Nishimura, we will lead you to your siblings." He was silent for a moment. "A simple 'thank you' would-"

"I'm not _thanking_ you psychopaths," Kimiko spat. "I just want my siblings back, and for all of this to be over with."

"...If you insist."

* * *

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, even the corrupt officers, someone was secretly observing the entire conversation with great interest. With narrowed eyes, the mysterious person slunk further into the shadows that enveloped them.

"It looks like this problem is greater than anticipated," the being said. "Perhaps...more drastic measures are required..."

* * *

Kimiko followed the officers to a large doorway, which they opened for her; Otonashi noticed it was leading into a cubicle area. But before he could try and follow discreetly, he felt someone grab his sleeve. It was Angel.

"What're you _doing_?!" he whispered in distress. "You're _really_ just gonna let her go with them like this?!"

"It's like I said earlier, Otonashi," the petite girl replied. "We'll find another way."

"_How_?! That Yamashita guy said he was observing us through the security cameras!"

"Pick up your gun."

"What, and _shoot out_ the cameras?! He's still gonna-"

"Just pick it up." Angel looked at the rest of her companions. "All of you, pick up your guns and follow me outside."

She started walking towards the doorway leading outside, stepping over the unconscious forms of officers in the process. Realizing she was serious, the teens all bent down, picked up the guns they dropped (and C's body in Matsushita's case), and fell right on her trail. Once every one of them was back outside, Hisako was the first to speak.

"Okay, what was _that_ all about?! Did we _really_ just give one of our own to the _enemy_?!"

"Like I said," Angel replied calmly, "we'll find another way. In fact..." She faced all of her companions. "I've already found one."

"You _have_?!" Matsushita exclaimed with surprise.

"Don't stop, everyone. Keep walking with me."

The other teens obeyed, following Angel further away from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police headquarters.

"Would you mind telling us why you didn't tell this to us as soon as Nishimura left the room?" asked Hinata.

"I didn't want any of you to exhibit reactions that would tip this Yamashita person off," Angel explained. "He may not be able to hear our conversations, but he's definitely observing our movements through the cameras. That's why we're still walking. He likely also has access to security cameras that are recording outside. We must give him the impression we're following his orders to the last detail."

"S-So if we're walking away from where the action is," Royama said, "what _exactly_ did you have in mind for our new way in?" Then, his eyes widened with realization. "Oh, no. Oh, HELL no! I am NOT walking through the goddamn sewer-"

"It's not the sewer." Angel looked over her shoulder and glared disapprovingly at the jittery redhead. "Do you _ever_ stop complaining?"

"Look, does it look like I still have a choice in this whole debacle?! I'm not sure if you're aware of this, Angel, or Kanade, or whoever the hell you are...but this entire country's about to get NUKED! And there's no place for me to hide!"

"Royama, calm down, man," Matsushita said.

"This IS calm for me!"

"Okay, settle down, everyone!" Otonashi shouted, silencing the other two boys and any other discontent that was being exhibited by the rest of the group. "Angel, what's the other way that you found."

"It's simple." Angel looked up to the sky. "We go up."

"_Up_?"

"Think about it. They're gonna use their nuclear devices today, and if our estimates are correct, the cult must be moving them to a place where they can easily transport them to every region in Japan. They might be doing it right now."

"Yes, bu-but _how_?" Yui asked. "How can they take nukes all across the country in a limited amount of time without being spotted?"

Within split-seconds, Otonashi came to the same realization as Angel. "By air!" he cried.

"By air?" Noda asked.

"Yes, using the station's helipad! Goddamn it, it all makes sense!"

"Holy crap," Hinata replied. "_That_ is why they forced the government to enact that shelter-in-place! That way, they'd be able to fly their nukes out of here, ride them out of the city quickly-"

"And drop them on all of the regions they're targeting," completed Matsushita.

"S-So you're s-sa-saying th-they c-co-could be d-do-doing it r-ri-right n-no-_now_?" Miyuki stuttered with terror.

"Without a doubt," Otonashi replied.

"I don't hear any noise coming from the helipad," Asahara said. "Hopefully that means they're still loading the choppers up with the devices. But...how're we gonna head there if we don't have our own means of aerial transportation?"

"Yes, we do," Angel replied.

Otonashi looked at her. "We do?"

Angel nodded. "You guys can stop walking now."

The rest of the group followed her directions. By that point, they had reached the station's inner security perimeter that they had just breached; unconscious police officers were strewn everywhere. However, while the teens stopped walking, Angel continued walking.

"A-_Angel_?" Otonashi asked. "Wh-Where are you going?!"

"I apologize, Otonashi. I just need some distance from the rest of you."

"Whaddaya mean 'distance'?!" called Noda.

Finally, Angel stopped. She faced her friends and companions, took a deep breath...and said two simple words.

"_Angel Wings_."

As if by magic, two massive but magnificent wings, sprouted from the girl's back, each covered in feathers that were as silver as her hair. Otonashi and the others gawked in wonder at this very miraculous occurrence, unconsciously taking a few steps back so as to give Angel even more space for her wings to flap in preparation.

"_Whoa_..." Royama breathed out, utterly astounded. "Holy frigging _crap_."

"It's...It's _beautiful_..." Noda said.

"So _pretty_!" gushed Yui.

"I've never seen anything like it..." remarked Hisako.

"K-_Kanade_," Otonashi said with wonder, "I-I mean, _Angel_... I...I forgot you _had_ those wings..."

"Is there anything else you forgot about me, Otonashi?" Angel asked flatly.

"N-N-No! N-Not at all!"

"Okay," Asahara snarled with disbelief. "How come you didn't tell us about these wings earlier? D'you have any idea how useful those would've been to us when we arrived here?!"

"I know what you're thinking, Nishimura. But unfortunately, you're overestimating this ability of mine. Look at me." She gestured to herself with a comical poker-face. "Do you _really_ think a girl of my stature can carry over a dozen teenagers down an entire city block and up dozens of floors to the station's helipad?"

Otonashi and the others nearly fell over at the thought of Angel having to literally carry the rest of the group on her back while soaring upward to the building and simultaneously trying to avoid police detection.

"Oh, yeah," Asahara replied with a sweat-drop. "That'd certainly be impossible."

"I do appreciate your confidence in me, though," Angel said flatly.

Then, Otonashi said, "Besides, aren't those wings not strong enough to grant you flight anyway?"

"Perhaps," Angel replied, "but..." She looked across her shoulders and examined her wings closely. "They're wings, aren't they? Surely if I push them hard enough, they'll do what they're designed to do."

"Okay," Royama said, confused. "So, if you can't carry _all_ of us up to the helipad, why don't you just try carrying us over to the helipad one at a time?"

"That's the plan."

Royama smiled with surprise. "Hey! For once, I got something right! HOORAY!"

"Wow," Hisako deadpanned sarcastically. "Way to go for _you_. Whoopee..."

"But we must tread carefully," Angel explained. "We might not have enough time left. Some of you I could probably carry over to the roof in a moment's notice, but others, well-" The poker-faced Angel stared at Matsushita in particular. "Not so much."

"Hey, I'm not fat!" the large boy cried in protest, nearly dropping C's prone form in the process. "I-I'm just big-boned!"

"Well," Otonashi said, quickly jumping to the silver-haired girl's defense, "le-let's not forget she has to go back and forth carrying each of us over to the HQ. _I'd_ certainly be tired by the end of all that."

"Thank you, Otonashi," replied Angel in gratitude.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Hinata asked.

"Well," Otonashi said, "we need to make sure Angel's not tired out from carrying all of us to the helipad. So, we'll have to organize ourselves into groups."

"Into groups?" Yui asked.

"Yes." Otonashi looked at Angel. "Angel, how many people do you think you can carry up to the helipad at a time before you start getting fatigued?"

"It depends on the people I'll be carrying, Otonashi-"

"For the last time," Matsushita interrupted, affronted, "I'm not fat, but big-boned!"

The petite girl ignored him. "But my best estimate is five people."

"Okay. So I guess Angel will be taking five of us up to the helipad before she takes a break of about...say, five minutes."

"Five minutes?!" Hisako cried. "What'll we do in the meantime, lounge around here and wait for more police to show up and arrest our asses?!"

"We have no other choice!"

"I too disagree with this course of action," Asahara said. "If the people who're already up on the helipad come across the cult, you'll have less manpower against them! What if they defeat you and report their findings to this Yamashita person? And let's not forget there might be security cameras up there as well!"

"Look, Asahara, Angel's our best fighter. If she's tired _and_ we come across the cult, she'll be no match for them and then the battle will be lost. As for the cameras, well, we'll try to deal with them, but for now, we don't have any other way of getting back to Nishimura!"

"Yeah, I'm with the redhead on this one," Noda said while twirling his machete.

"Same here," Hinata added. "If Otonashi thinks it's a good idea, then it's a good idea. We have to act quickly."

"I-I agree!" squeaked Yui, while many of the others nodded in agreement.

Asahara pursed his lips with reluctance, but he nodded in understanding. As for Hisako, she looked over her shoulder at Miyuki and Shiori, both of whom nodded at her as a sign of their agreement with Otonashi. The brown-haired girl sighed ambivalently and looked back at Otonashi.

"Okay, Otonashi," she said. "Your call."

"Thank you, Hisako." Otonashi scanned the group. "I want to go first. Does anyone else want to join me?"

"Alrighty, then!" Noda barked. "I volunteer to go with Otonashi."

"As do I," Asahara added.

"Hey, weren't you against this whole thing, like, a few seconds ago?" Royama asked suspiciously.

"Well, if this is how things are going to proceed, then I must see to it that Otonashi's plan is executed perfectly." Asahara proceeded to place a hand over his heart and clutch at the skin tightly. "Plus, this is my moment...my prime opportunity to find the head of this cult and avenge my father's death!"

"Quite the dramatic one, are we...?" Hinata asked from the side.

"Hey, don't doubt my intentions!"

"Okay," Angel said. "So we have three volunteers. Who else wants to go first?"

"I'll go," Matsushita replied.

"You're not going just because you want to prove you're big-boned, do you...?"

"NO!" Then, Matsushita started twiddling his fingers sheepishly. "Well, s-sorta, bu-but that's not the point! As the largest person of this group, you might as well get this over with!"

"Well, I guess he's got a good point," remarked Noda.

"Okay, very well," Angel said. "I'll carry you over there as well, Matsushita, but you're gonna be one of the last up there. I do not wish to tire out after only two or three people."

"Sounds like a reasonable deal," replied Matsushita. Then, he gently set C's body down and propped it against the side of a lamppost. "Hey, your name's Royama, right?"

"H-Huh?" Royama raised an eyebrow. "Y-_Yeah_, th-that's my name..."

"You watch over her."

"Ew," Hisako spat with disgust. "You're entrusting _him_ with the responsibility of watching over _her_? He's ogled her body for half the trip here, didja know that?!"

"Hey, I'm not a perv!" Royama cried defensively. Then, he clutched his heart and swooned melodramatically. "It's simply a case of love at first sight!"

"Again, ew."

"Hey, perv or not," Matsushita said, "I am indeed putting my friend's life in your hands, man."

Royama blinked with surprise. "W-Wait, _really_?"

"Yeah, man. Just watch over her and wait till she wakes up. Can't get any simpler than that."

"W-Wa-Wait a minute, wh-_why_?! Why do you want _me_ to look after her?!"

"Look, you're a newbie here, and you're _clearly_ not up for any of this."

The redhead frowned. "Aw gee, thanks..."

"But...something tells me you _do_ give a shit, deep down inside. You just need some encouragement." Matsushita smiled. "And trust me, man, with what we're going up against, you're gonna need all the encouragement you can get."

Royama blinked slowly before looking down at C's body. "Th..._Thanks_, man... I-I guess...?"

Matsushita nodded at him before focusing on Angel. "Alright, I'm ready to go, Angel!"

"Wait," she replied. "First thing's first..." She then scanned the rest of the group. "Does anyone else wish to volunteer to go first?"

Hisako heaved out a sigh before stepping forward. "I'll go."

"Wait, what?!" Miyuki squeaked.

"Nooooo, don't go, Hisako-chan!" squealed Shiori. "It's not like five people per go is a requirement!"

"Oh, it definitely is," Hisako replied with a hardened stare. "Girls, it's not just Nishimura and the nukes that are up there. It's Iwasawa."

"Iwasawa..." Miyuki and Shiori whispered at the same time in remembrance.

"Yeah. There's no doubt in my mind that she's somewhere in that building. And I ain't leaving our main vocalist behind." She then whispered to herself, "Not this time..."

"Okay, then," Angel said. "The five of you, follow me. We need to find a place where I can lift off from. I don't know how strong and manageable these wings will be when I push them to their limit. If I'm unable to maneuver myself with them, then I need to fly in a straight line at the very least."

"You got it, Angel," Matsushita replied.

Angel nodded before looking at the others. "I'll be back for all of you soon."

"Hey, don't worry about us!" Hinata replied while giving the petite girl a thumbs-up. "We'll be waiting patiently!"

Angel nodded, then she led Noda, Asahara, and Hisako back to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police headquarters. But Otonashi remained behind to take one last parting glance at his friends.

"Hey, Hinata!" Otonashi called, piquing the other boy's attention. "You be careful, alright?"

Hinata smiled. "Right back at ya, man!" Then, he got an idea. "Hey, when this is over and we saved Japan, we should all try to take a break and get ourselves some late-night dinner! I haven't eaten once since I came back, and I wanna know what the food of 2026 tastes like!"

Otonashi stared back at him reluctantly for a moment before forcing a halfhearted smile to form on his face.

"Yeah. I'd like that."

Hinata nodded curtly at him, prompting Otonashi to begin following his group. As he did, he pondered over Hinata's last, friendly request.

**_"If you can hear me, I know things are confusing right now. Believe me, I was confused about all of this too. For once in my life, I didn't know what to do next. But I know what to do now, Takahashi. And I swear to you, together, we'll all get to the bottom of this, and we _will_ find a way to get Otonashi, Kanade, and the rest of the SSS out of our bodies. I swear, not only to you, but to myself and everyone else who's been affected. Because these are our lives, not theirs."_**

_"I wonder if we have the right to even _have_ a break and see what the future has to offer..."_ he thought glumly.

Just then, as he rejoined Angel, Noda, Matsushita, and Hisako, Otonashi finally noticed something for the first time.

"H-Hey, guys?" he asked, looking around. "Wh-Where's Yuri?"

* * *

Kimiko reluctantly walked down the hallway, eyeing the offices, cubicle areas, and even holding cells that she passed by. Strangely, they were mostly empty, save for the occasional sleeping detainee inside the holding cells.

"Where's the rest of your station?" she asked sardonically.

"Oh, they're here," replied the corrupt officer behind her. "Just not on this floor. My colleagues sent them all down false trails in the building. As soon as they realize it was just a false alarm, they'll return to their stations. By that time, you'll be up there, negotiating with our boss."

The group soon approached a bay of elevators, and the team leader pressed the summon button. After a minute, Kimiko watched as the elevator doors slid open, revealing the empty, plain-smelling compartment. Just then, she felt the barrel of a gun nudge her in the back of the shoulder.

"Move," the corrupt officer ordered.

The magenta-haired girl took a deep breath and acquiesced. She stepped inside the elevator first, followed by five of the tactical officers. She faced the elevator doors again and saw that the rest of the tactical team hadn't moved.

"What about the rest of your friends?" she asked bravely.

"They need to patrol the area," the team leader replied. "Just in case your friends get any funny ideas about reentering."

Kimiko eyed him suspiciously. "And how can I trust you to give your word on that?"

"Well, I can't make you, obviously. But your friends should be _faaaaaar_, far away from the station by now..." The corrupt officer leaned forward to press the button leading to one of the uppermost floors. "And besides, I don't think you're in a position to negotiate with _me_, anyway."

Kimiko watched reluctantly as the elevator doors closed on her, cutting off any chance she possibly had of escaping. She then worriedly looked up at the screen as it started counting the floors that she passed by.

_2..._

_3..._

_4..._

"_Nyaaaaa_..."

At the sound of the familiar purr, Kimiko looked down and saw the cat Yuri grazing against her leg. The team leader was quick to notice the extra passenger as well.

"What the hell is this?" he asked.

"Street cat, probably," replied one of the other officers. "Looks harmless, though."

"Better shoo it away once we get off. Can't have our operation being compromised by any allergies."

_"I don't know how this cat followed me here,"_ Kimiko thought while still looking down at the friendly feline, _"but...I need all the friends I can get if I make it through this. Even if they're not human..."_

She fondly smiled down at Yuri, appreciating the way she persistently stuck close to her. It almost felt like Yuri was trying to protect her, offer her guidance through this trying time...

All of a sudden, Kimiko felt a strong pang of déjà vu in her heart.

**_"It's just too unfair. We never did anything wrong; we were just kids. ...We were just _kids_. I was confident I was the cool big sister up until that day. But I lost everything I wanted to protect in 30 minutes. That's too unfair. How could I ever forgive God for that?"_**

** _"This is your chance. You have to right this wrong. Go, Kimiko. Go!"_ **

_"I need to have faith,"_ Kimiko thought with determination while resisting the urge to lightly slap her own cheeks. _"I can't let these weird dreams and occurrences get to my head. No, as long as my faith in God is strong, then I can get through this. No, I _have_ to get through this, for the sake of my sisters and my brother. I _must_ get through this..."_

She clenched her fists...

* * *

Yamashita watched as Kimiko and his subordinates entered the elevator. With Otonashi and his friends still out of sight of the cameras, he turned his attention away from the monitors and faced the officer standing beside him.

"Give the order," he said. "Make sure Nishimura's friends are all eliminated once they get far enough from HQ."

"Yes, Yamashita sir," the officer replied.

"NO!" three voices shouted in unison.

An evil grin appeared on Yamashita's face as he walked up to Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei. Naomi glowered at the golden-cloaked man, while Tamika and Kaisei shriveled behind their older sister.

"Hey, there's no need to be frightened, kids," he said in a disturbingly calm voice. "Your onee-chan's on her way."

"You liar," spat Naomi. "When Kimiko finds out about what you did, she'll kick you right where it hurts! Your dick!"

"My dick." The man rolled his eyes. "Ohhhhh, I doubt it-"

"We'll see in..." Naomi looked at the clock hanging on the wall opposite to her. "One hour!"

"Quite confident of your chances, are we?"

"Kimiko's a smart girl! She'll see through your trap in an instant!"

"Why, you still seem to be blind to the true circumstances of your situation, my dear." Yamashita patted Naomi, much to her disgust. "See, she knows I have the three of you in the palm of my hand...and that makes her weak..._vulnerable_... I think your onee-chan will cave in to my demands _very_ easily. Soon, she'll be on the ground, crushed by the weight of all her failures." The man then turned his back on the three siblings to refocus on the security monitors. "And once we're all done, she'll now know not to mess with the powers-that-be."

"Powers-that-be, huh?" Naomi smirked. "Big talk for a guy who's making others do the dirty work for him."

"Why're you so obsessed with our Onee-chan anyway?!" cried Kaisei.

"Do you have a thing for schoolgirls like her or something?!" Tamika snapped.

Yamashita looked over his shoulder and at them. "A thing for schoolgirls...like _her_? Oh, no. No, no, no... I'm just...trying to fulfill the last wish of my good friend, Sadahiro Hashimoto. He's the one who was slighted by her. She disrespected his vision, his ideal for the future of Japan. And everyone knows how Sadahiro Hashimoto never shows mercy to anyone who disrespects him. He died not tasting the success of his revenge against your Onee-chan, and so _I_ will do it for him."

"Oh yeah, for him," drawled Naomi. "Spoken like a _real_ tool."

Yamashita's eyelid suddenly twitched at the last word. With an alarming silence, he got closer to the oldest of the three children...and slapped her on the cheek.

"AGH!" Naomi squealed in agony.

"ONEE-CHAN!" Tamika and Kaisei cried at the same time.

"Don't you _dare_ question my loyalty to Sadahiro Hashimoto!" he snapped. "You may be young and naive, girl, but he has done more for me than your Onee-chan ever will to you!"

Naomi winced, feeling the unbearable prickling sensation on her cheek. Once the sting subsided, she glared at Yamashita with a bold, defiant smirk.

"He did, huh?" she asked. "What're you, his gay lover or some- ACK!"

Yamashita had grabbed Naomi by the throat and started squeezing tightly. In response, Tamika started angrily struggling against her bonds, but her efforts were futile. As for Kaisei, he simply started crying.

"I see where you get your _impertinence_ from," snarled the golden-cloaked man. "In spite of your childish and immature assumptions, I can assure you you couldn't be further from the truth. Hashimoto..." He gritted his teeth as he squeezed tighter. "Hashimoto found me when I was toiling amongst lowly degenerates living in the slums, saw the _potential_ in me, and personally took me on as his protege. If it weren't for _him_, my potential would've been squandered, and I would've been _just_ like those pieces of scum and filth in places like Mitaka! I am who I am because of HIM!"

He finally released his grip on Naomi, allowing her to writhe and wheeze as her lungs desperately struggled for oxygen. After realizing what he had done, Yamashita closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and turned his back on the siblings.

"Yamashita is a visionary..." he finally said; the loyalty in his voice was steady, unwavering. "If he could redetermine my future, turn my life from ragged filth to one of riches, then he takes Japan's best interests to heart. Call him, me, or any of our followers madmen all you want, children. When the fallout settles and our beloved civilization rises from the ashes like a phoenix...then you will learn to be more respectful."

He walked back towards the security monitors to follow Kimiko's movements. This allowed Naomi to whisper one word as soon as her lungs took in enough oxygen.

"Jackass..."

* * *

"That goddamn Yamashita, leaving us to do all the hard work..."

A police sergeant stood beside the powered-down tandem-rotor helicopter, watching as eight of his subordinates carried a staggeringly large crate onto the helipad. Each step they took was slow and calculated, and the officers were extremely mindful not to trip over themselves. Once they got close enough to the helicopter, they carefully lowered the crate down by the sergeant's feet.

As soon as they did, the sergeant placed a large sheet of paper atop its lid and unfurled it to reveal a map of Japan.

"Alright, men," he announced. "Sapporo is the first stop for our operation." The officer pointed towards the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaido. "Nuke Red will be taken there immediately. The next chopper will come in right afterward to airlift Nuke Gray over to Kyushu, so you four-" He pointed at half of the group. "Go and get it ready now. The rest of you, make sure it's hooked to this chopper."

"Yes, Sergeant Inami!" one of the officers barked in response.

Four of the officers promptly ran off the helipad and towards the seven similarly-sized crates, which were being guarded by other officers. As for the other four, they took a pair of hooks that were trailing from the underside of the chopper and secured it onto two of the latches on the crate's lid. Before they could do the same thing with the other two hooks, Inami suddenly slammed his fist on the crate, startling his subordinates. Sensing Inami's foul attitude, one of the officers meekly and reluctantly stepped forward.

"S-Se-Serge?" he asked. "Y-You alright?"

"Who the hell does he think he is, anyway?!" the sergeant snapped to himself. "He's not the one in charge of this whole operation! And he has the gall to tell us what to do, like he suddenly knows everything?!"

"He-Hey now, serge," the pilot said. "Cut Yamashita some slack. Hashimoto trusted him to be the face of the cult; surely, he-"

He was silenced by a deadly glare from Inami, who furiously snarled, "I _refuse_ to bend down and take orders from that man. If there's one thing, _one thing_, that I hate more than righteous, delusional white knights like Igarashi, it's little fucking suck-ups like Yamashita."

"Hey, serge!" another voice called.

Inami looked up and saw the same four officers returning to their position...without the crate they were assigned to retrieve. Their faces were all stricken with absolute shock and disbelief.

"Oh, for the love of GOD!" snapped the sergeant. "Now's not the time to slack off! Get Nuke Gray prepared now!" Then, the man finally registered their confused faces. "What the hell is with those faces?!"

"You're..." one of the other officers said before hesitating.

"You're not gonna believe what we just saw and ran from..." another officer said.

Inami rolled his eyes. "If this is another goddamn false alarm, I swear to _God_ I'll-"

"N-No! We swear! Hamuro saw something incoming in his binoculars-"

"Like I said! False alarm-"

"No, serge! It's...It's... I-I can't even explain it! Please go over to him and see for yourself!"

With a roll of his eyes, Inami marched off the helipad, shouldering aside one of the officers as he did so. The other officers looked at one another before following their superior outside. There, they saw the rest of their squad staring up at the rooftops, all of them wearing the same stunned expression.

"Alright, Hamuro!" barked Inami. "What the hell's the big deal here?! You're wasting our goddamn time!"

Hamuro didn't say anything. Instead, with his lower jaw hanging open, he absentmindedly held out his binoculars to his left, unaware that Inami was standing to his right. With another eye-roll, Inami snaked an arm across the dumbfounded officer's left shoulder, snatched the binoculars away from him, and put them to his eyes.

What he saw next stunned him beyond belief.

"What in the _hell_...?"

Soaring above the rooftops and gaining even more altitude was what initially appeared to be a bird. However, once this being got high enough to fly over the station rooftop with ease, it became illuminated by the unobstructed full Moon, it became painfully clear that Inami was looking at a small, petite human...with two wings protruding from its back, the wingspan astoundingly large.

"What the hell _is_ that, serge...?" one of the other officers asked.

"Does...Does it look like _I_ know...?" Inami replied, all the while trying desperately to maintain his composure.

"W-Wait a minute," Hamuro said, his eyes squinted, "it looks like that thing's _carrying_ something..."

"_Carrying_ something?"

"Yeah. It...It looks human-"

Hamuro was cut off a split-second later when the winged figure, unimpeded by its mysterious cargo, suddenly swooped down towards the rooftop, like a bird of prey descending upon its latest meal. Some of the officers gasped, while others hitched their breaths in terror at what they were witnessing.

"Holy crap!" Hamuro cried with a mixture of fear and awe. "It's coming towards us!"

"We're gonna DIE!" a second officer shrieked, his voice cracking in the process.

"Now if we can help it!" a third officer shouted. "Shoot the hell out of it!"

The officers pulled out their guns and started firing in unison. However, the winged being maneuvered through the air at impossibly high speeds during its descent, dodging all of the whizzing bullets without sustaining so much as a scratch. At the same time, a storm of bullets was being fired _from_ the winged being's direction. The officers flinched at the sounds of bullets ricocheting around them as they blindly fired back.

Within seconds, the being flew past the officers; one of them could've sworn it was wearing girls' clothing, while another thought he saw tan fur on its torso.

"DON'T LET IT GET AWAY!" Inami cried as he tried to reload his revolver. "KEEP ON FIRING! KEEP FIRING!"

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," a new voice abruptly said. The officers twirled around and saw a certain redheaded boy leaning against one of their crates...

And pointing the barrel of a gun at it, specifically towards the nuclear device stored inside.

"Hello there," Otonashi greeted.

"Why you little-!" Inami began.

"Surrender now...or I'll put a bullet in this crate. And if this crate contains what I _think_ it contains, well...I wouldn't want to be at the ground zero of all these crates."

Upon hearing the boy's taunt, the sergeant grinned malevolently and aimed his revolver. "Ohhhhh, I think I believe you." He clicked the safety off. "_No one_ would want to be at the ground zero of _those_ things."

Otonashi began to sweat nervously, but he kept his gun trained on the crate. "So, is this how it's gonna end for you cult wackos? Causing a nuclear explosion chain reaction that wipes the entire Tokyo area off the map? Whatever happened to nuking all of Japan? I thought that was a part of your group's vision for a new and better Japan?"

"Tokyo, Japan," Inami replied confidently. "It doesn't make a difference, honestly. Our leader just likes to be very ambitious, that's all."

"Oh?" Otonashi scanned Inami's subordinates and noticed how fidgety more than a few of them were. "And what about your fellow cultists? Are any of them just as ambitious?"

"What the hell are you talking about, boy?"

"How many of them are in on your _true_ plan?"

"Wait, what true plan?" Hamuro asked, while some of the other officers gave confused sideways glances at Inami. "Wha-What's he talking about, serge?"

"Oh, you know," the redhead replied, "the part where your bosses made up all of your gods and the whole cult thing was just a ploy to get 'em followers who'll help them nuke Japan for their own insane, selfish goals, all of which have _nothing_ to do with the deities you worship."

"Don't listen to him, men!" barked Inami. "He's a nonbeliever who is trying to corrupt your minds! Just have faith, and you'll see the end result of all your efforts! I promise you, the gods _will_ be grateful, and they _will_ welcome you with open arms!"

At the sound of that last sentence, the officers all aimed their guns at Otonashi.

"Drop the gun, kid!" Hamuro ordered. "We know you know it's futile!"

_"Damn,"_ Otonashi thought with clenched teeth. _"Their loyalty to the cult is too strong to break. I can't convince them to turn their backs on the higher-ups..."_

Holding back a defeated sigh, Otonashi loosened his grip on his gun, causing it to dangle from his index finger. He moved his arm away from the crate and was about to drop the firearm when...

"HEY, YOU FREEEEEAAAAAKS!" a familiar voice called triumphantly.

Noda dropped beside Otonashi and faced the cultists while twirling around his machete.

"Noda!" Otonashi cried.

The delinquent ignored him and asked the cultists, "Who wants to get down and dirty?"

Otonashi tried to stop him, but Noda charged at the armed cultists.

"THAT'S IT!" Inami cried before procuring a stun gun. "You're going down, kid!"

Before Otonashi could react, the team of police officers fired their guns at Noda. Fortunately, Angel landed between the charging Noda and Inami, said something, and, in split-seconds, the electric projectile was deflected away from her harmlessly by an invisible shield. Finally, Angel deactivated her _Distortion_ Guard Skill and stared down the awestruck officers with her golden eyes. Her expression was stern and unflinching.

"Lower your weapons," she instructed calmly, "and allow me and my friends to pass through. I promise, we are not here to do you any harm."

She punctuated her sentence with a gentle yet intimidating flap of her silver wings. All of the officers watched her wings for another moment, almost anticipating an attack from them. Then, Inami stepped forward.

"HELL, NO! We still have a job to do! Men, don't listen to this...this..." He scanned Angel from head to toe. "FREAK!"

All of a sudden, Hamuro and many of the other officers threw their guns to the floor, knelt down...and bowed to Angel.

"The almighty _Kū_!" they cried.

"What?" Angel asked blankly.

"Wait, WHAT?!" cried the sergeant.

"Dear _Chi_," the officers chanted, "maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form."

Inami's eyes widened with horror. "YOU GOTTA BE **SHITTING** ME!"

However, the bowing officers ignored him and continued. "Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change. Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy."

Angel looked at Otonashi and Noda. Though the latter was wearing a stunned face, the former nodded in understanding.

"Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life. And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits."

"NO, YOU FOOLS!" roared Inami. "THIS THING IS **NOT** YOUR GOD!"

"Do you wish to bet on those chances?" Angel asked calmly.

Overcome with rage, Inami aimed his revolver and fired a single shot at Angel. However, she silently reactivated her _Distortion_ Guard Skill, and the bullet bounced off her invisible force-field. The bowing officers watched with awe as the bullet, bent into nothing more than a misshapen ball of metal, clattered to the ground like a dropped coin.

"Wh-WHAT?!" the sergeant cried. "How the hell?!"

Then, he fired his gun some more, but was met with the same results. Once his revolver was empty and Angel was still unaffected, he dropped the firearm in disbelief.

"How... How is this _possible_...?" He looked at the officers who were still standing. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE, YOU-YOU GODDAMN FOOLS! KILL THEM!"

But these officers didn't budge. Instead, they too dropped their guns and raised their arms in surrender.

"BAH! COWARDS! IT'S JUST A LITTLE GIRL WITH WINGS!"

"What're you talking about, serge?" Hamuro asked, confused as he lifted his head to look up at his superior. "This...This is not just some little girl!"

"She's the almighty _Kū_!" another bowing officer cried.

"SHE AIN'T SHIT, YOU IDIOT! GET UP AND HELP ME DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS...THIS **THING**!"

At that moment, the cultists stood back up on their feet...and rounded up on Inami.

"You would _dare_ disrespect our supreme goddess?" Hamuro asked menacingly.

"Wh-What're you idiots _doing_?!" the sergeant cried. "G-Get your goddamn guns a-and shoot this freak up!"

"I hear disrespect coming from your voice," another officer replied. "And disrespect..."

"Is one of the traits of a nonbeliever!" cried a third officer.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Inami barked. "Get here, you bastards!"

"And you know what happens to nonbelievers..." Hamuro replied ominously.

Inami's eyes immediately darted towards the officers who hadn't bowed, but to his horror, they were making an effort to distance themselves from the growing mob. Then, Inami looked down at the floor, where he saw his fallen revolver lying next to Hamuro's feet. After taking one last look at the cultists congregating around him, the sergeant dove to the floor and tried to grab the gun, but Hamuro kicked it away.

"You will now die, _serge_," he said.

With that, the cultists started beating Inami, but after a couple of seconds, a voice called out to them.

"STOP!"

The mob ceased their assault and looked at Angel, who had her palm raised and aimed at them. Once it was cleared she had quelled their violence, she lowered her arm and regarded them with a gentle flap of her wings.

"Do not kill him," she ordered calmly. "I command it."

The cultists bowed their heads. "Yes, almighty _Kū_!" they chorused.

"Angel," Otonashi whispered, "what're you doing-?"

"It's okay, Otonashi," she whispered back. "Clearly, I have their attention. We could use it to our advantage..." Then, she addressed the officers again. "I am disappointed in all of you tonight."

"Wh-_What_?!" Hamuro exclaimed in disbelief. "Wh-_Why_, dearest _Kū_?"

"You would use violence to assert your beliefs upon others? That is absolutely shameful. It is a sin of the lowest order."

"Oh, crap..." one of the other cultists replied. "Wh-What sh-should we do to rectify our sinful actions, almighty _Kū_?!"

Angel pointed at the bloodied Inami and his party of loyalists. "First, make sure they're all restrained. Do not harm them any further."

"Yes, great and mighty _Kū_!" the cultists cried.

"We will do whatever you require from us!" Hamuro added.

With that, the cultists rounded up Inami and the other officers and handcuffed them to the railing lining the roof. As this was being done, Noda leaned his head sideways towards Otonashi's.

"Yo," he whispered. "Your girl's getting the hang of this god stuff."

"You got that right..." Otonashi replied while he stared admiringly at Angel.

As the last of the officers were being cuffed, Hamuro approached Angel and bowed his head loyally.

"What else do you want from us, almighty _Kū_?" he asked.

Angel pointed at the crates. "Disarm those."

"Disarm the nukes? I...I don't know how to do that-"

"Then find someone who does."

"It doesn't really matter. The countdown for all the nukes was triggered two hours ago. It can't be stopped."

"WHAT?!" Otonashi, Angel, and Noda cried at once.

Hamuro bowed his head apologetically. "I'm so sorry, great _Kū_! We did it as a safety precaution! We knew not your true views of violence-"

"It's alright," Angel interrupted, trying her best to remain composed. "You're forgiven."

Meanwhile, Noda rushed over to one of the crates, which had cyan tape marking it. He unlocked the crate and opened it up, revealing a missile with a radiation caution sign taped on its side...beside a red, active countdown.

"Shit," the delinquent boy said. "He's not lying. This nuke's about to go off in about...four hours."

"Four hours?" Otonashi asked.

"Yeah," said Hamuro. "Every nuke is supposed to go to a major city in Japan, but since our targets go as far as Hokkaido and Kyushu, each nuke has a different countdown."

"Which nuke is supposed to blow up first?"

"That'll be the one we saved specially for Tokyo. It should be in the crate with green tape."

"Yeah, found it!" Noda cried after a couple of seconds of scouring. He unlocked it and opened it up...before jumping back in alarm. "SHIT!"

"What, Noda?" Otonashi asked.

"This thing's gonna go off in less than an hour!"

"Less than an hour?!" Otonashi glared at Hamuro. "How exactly were you guys gonna get away from _that_?!"

"We-We _weren't_ gonna," Hamuro replied hesitantly. "W-We were gonna go to Heaven and-"

"Look," interrupted Angel, "whatever you were told, you were lied to."

"WHAT?!"

Angel nodded. "But you still have a chance to make up for all of this. Tell me, is there _any_ way to stop the countdowns?"

"Y-Yes, there is, almighty goddess."

"Oh, thank God!" Otonashi exclaimed. "What is it?"

"There's a security key. You only need that one key for all the nukes. It'll definitely do the trick."

"Okay, where is this security key?"

Hamuro paused for a moment to gulp. "It's with Yamashita..."

Otonashi, Angel, and Noda looked at one another with worry. Then, Angel's expression hardened, and she ran over to the side of the rooftop.

"I'll get the others," she said. "Otonashi, Noda, go find Nishimura."

"You got it, Angel!" Otonashi replied.

With that, he and Noda ran towards the access doorway. Then, before Angel could jump off and use her wings, Hamuro and a couple of other cultists stepped forward.

"What about us, almighty _Kū_?" Hamuro asked.

Angel looked at them. "Huh?"

"What do you want _us_ to do?" one of the other cultists asked.

At first, Angel didn't know what to say. Then, she looked up at the tandem-rotor chopper and got an idea.

"Was that chopper supposed to deliver one of the nuclear devices?" she asked.

"Y-Yes," Hamuro replied, following the petite girl's gaze. "I-It was supposed to head for Sapporo."

"Tell me, does it have autopilot?"

* * *

**Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo**

_ **"Beta Team. This is Yamashita. Do you have eyes on the targets?"** _

The armored van quietly slowed down to a stop before it could round a corner of the street. Emerging from the van was another team of police officers wearing tactical gear and armed with assault rifles. They all fell into a single-file line and began stealthily sneaking over to the corner.

"This is Beta Team Leader," the officer at the front of the line said, speaking into an earpiece. "We are moving in on the targets as we speak."

_**"Beta Team, please be advised,"**_ Yamashita replied. _**"The subjects are armed and may have training. I repeat, they are armed and may have training. Do **_**not**_** underestimate these kids."**_

"Don't worry, sir. The department doesn't pay us for nothing."

With that, the officers clicked off the safeties of their rifles. Once they reached the corner, the leader peeked his head out and observed Hinata and his group as they awaited patiently for Angel. He sneered with triumph and aimed the barrel of his rifle directly at Hinata's back.

"Targets acquired."

* * *

"Officer, could you _please_ drive slower?!"

"No can do, Yunokawa-kun. This is an emergency."

Sekine turned the wheel, causing the Yunokawa family van to swerve violently to the right as he turned another corner. A terrified Yuuji, sitting in one of the backseats, held onto Takeyama for dear life while the bespectacled boy remained calm and continued inspecting Touya's laptop. Meanwhile, Rikana, Sachiyo, and Yuuji's mother, who were in the second row of backseats, held tightly onto their seats while their hearts hammering against their sternums. As for Yuuji's father, he was sitting in the front passenger seat, staring critically at Sekine as he continued his reckless driving.

"Officer Sekine, sir," the man said, "if you keep up this driving, we'll get pulled over by the police!"

"I _am_ the police, Yunokawa-san," Sekine replied.

"Ohhh, _yeah_," Rikana said, her voice shaky despite her attempt at sarcasm. "Says the low-ranked officer who's driving at top speed with passengers in the car with him. You sure are a shining example of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police."

"Hey, I didn't ask for that kind of tone from you!" Sekine looked into the rearview mirror, which was aimed at Takeyama. "Hey, Hamada-"

"Takeyama," the bespectacled boy corrected.

"...R-Right... Um, d-did you manage to get back into the department's security systems?"

"I'm trying, but I still cannot get a hang of the technology that this Hamada person uses, not to mention the technology your department uses. This is quite a challenge for me. But, fortunately for all of you..." Takeyama's rectangular lenses shone as he deepened his focus on the laptop. "I am Christ."

"...Since when did you start calling yourself that, Hamada?" Rikana asked flatly.

"Since forever." Takeyama looked over his shoulder. "You should know this by now, Yusa."

"For the last time, I'm _not_ Yusa." Rikana crossed her arms. "Who the hell is _Yusa_?"

"My friend from the Afterlife...which you are."

"Okay, have you _finally_ gone mad, Hamada?" Sachiyo asked flatly.

"I have not gone mad, whoever you are-"

"Sugisata." Sachiyo slapped her forehead. "Jeez, something must've happened to you if your memory is in a jumble."

Takeyama refocused on Touya's laptop. "Oh, trust me, I would not have allowed anything to happen to me. Not only am I Takeyama, I am Christ, and absolutely nothing can hurt me."

Sekine suddenly slammed his foot down on the brakes, causing the Yunokawa SUV to grind to a loud stop. Everyone was wearing seatbelts, so none of them were sent flying inside. However, the abruptness of the stop caused Takeyama to hit his head on the laptop screen, while Rikana accidentally hit her head on Yuuji's headrest.

"OW!" he cried. "Goddamn it!"

"Wow," Sachiyo said after regaining her breath. "So much for not allowing anything to hurt you."

Takeyama gritted his teeth while a blush blossomed on his cheeks. "Sh-Sh-Shut it..."

"Why'd you stop, Officer Sekine?" Yuuji asked while rubbing his shoulder. Just then, he noticed the serious expression on Sekine's face.

"Everyone, be quiet," he ordered quietly.

He pointed his chin towards the windshield window, and the passengers spotted an armored vehicle parked close to the corner that Sekine was about to take. A team of police officers, all of them wearing tactical body armor and armed with assault rifles, was lined up against the wall of a building, seemingly ready to conduct an ambush.

"What're they doing?" Yuuji's father asked while inspecting the officers' movements.

"That's one of the department's tactical response teams," replied Sekine. "They must've found the cult, or at least some of its members. But...near the Tokyo Metropolitan Police HQ?"

At that moment, two of the officers standing at the back of the line, who had earlier noticed the SUV, broke off from the rest of their team and approached the vehicle with their rifles drawn.

"Okay, hands up," Sekine instructed. "Hands up, everyone!"

His passengers obeyed, while Sekine slowly rolled the window down, procured his police badge, and stuck it out of the window for the approaching officers to see. In response, one of the officers walked up his window with his weapon still aimed, while the other officer went to the other side of the vehicle to inspect the passengers.

"What's going on, man?" Sekine asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," the first officer replied. He gave Yuuji's father a suspicious look. "Did you forget about the shelter-in-place protocol?"

"It's an emergency." Sekine looked at Yuuji, Takeyama, Rikana, and Sachiyo. "These children have information regarding the cult that I feel will be important to the investigation."

"Information?" the second officer asked.

The first officer's eyebrows shot up. "Do they now...?"

"Yeah. I'm, uh, I'm taking them to HQ for further interrogation."

"_Okay_..." The tactical officer shot his comrade a certain look before taking a step back. "Let me...contact HQ and verify this..." He procured a walkie-talkie, pressed a button, and spoke into it. "Yamashita? I have a group of civilians who, uh, claim to have good info on the cult we're investigating..."

_**"Good info?"**_ the voice on the other end asked.

"That's what they're saying. It's just a bunch of kids, though. Different from the ones we're pursuing."

"Wait, _pursuing_?" Yuuji blurted out.

_**"...It doesn't matter,"**_ Yamashita replied. _**"Is this group still with you? I don't have eyes on you."**_

"Yes, they are, sir."

_ **"Then do what needs to be done."** _

"Yes, sir."

The officer put the walkie-talkie away and took a sideways glance at the rest of his team. Upon seeing they were ready to begin their ambush, he aimed his rifle at the SUV occupants, as did his comrade. Sekine's hands shot up.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" he cried with alarm. "Wh-What the hell are you doing?! S-Same team, remember?!"

The officer sneered. "Ohhh, not exactly..."

Thinking quickly, Sekine yelled, "EVERYONE HIT THE DECK!"

His passengers didn't need to be told twice. They ducked their heads while Sekine simultaneously slammed his foot back down on the gas pedal. The family SUV sped away, but not before the two officers riddled it with bullets.

* * *

Upon hearing the sound of screeching tires and gunfire, Hinata's head perked up.

"Didja hear that?" he asked.

"Yeah," Yui replied while the rest of the SSS readied their guns.

As for Royama, he looked around in a panic and was the first to see the tactical team emerging from behind the corner, their assault rifles aimed precisely at their direction. On instinct, he shot up on his feet, aimed his gun, and yelled at the top of his lungs, "AMBUSH!"

The SSS was quick to react to Royama's warning. They ran behind any shelter they could, just before the corrupt officers started firing their weapons at them, spraying the street with bullets. However, Royama didn't budge an inch; instead, he stood protectively in front of C's unconscious body and fired back at them while screaming madly, forcing the officers to find shelter of their own.

Seconds later, the Yunokawa SUV drove onto the street Hinata's group was on. Some of the corrupt officers focused their fire on the vehicle, eventually hitting two of its tires. This caused the SUV to swerve out of control for a second before it crashed into a parked car.

As soon as he laid his eyes on the crashed SUV, Hinata suddenly felt a pang of familiarity hit him. Before he could control himself, he stood up and wandered out of his hiding spot, transfixed with horror and concern.

Not unexpectedly, this put him in the crosshairs of a cultist, who wasted no time firing a shot at the blue-haired boy...

"ONII-CHAN, NOOOOO!"

Hinata flinched at the sound of the gunshot, but to his surprise, he didn't feel any pain whatsoever. He looked back at the cultist who shot at him, but the man was now preoccupied with gunfire coming from Royama and the rest of the SSS.

Then, a horrible, gut-wrenching instinct told him to look down, which he did. The next thing he saw caused his world to fall apart.

Yui was lying before his feet on the asphalt, in a growing pool of blood.

* * *

_ **ACTIVATING_SECONDARY_** _ ** _PROTOCOL_ **

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_ **ACTIVATING_SECONDARY_** _ ** _PROTOCOL_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaannnnnddddd I'm done! And...OH, NO! Yui has been SHOT! Whatever happened to her?! Find out in the next chapter!
> 
> Phew! This chapter was surprisingly hard for me to write when I had to commit to it last year. I didn't like how some of the scenes in the middle were turning out, so I kept rewriting and revising them until I achieved something satisfactory to me. Even then, I feel like this chapter left a lot to be desired. I think it's got something to do with the great amount of characters and subplots that I'm dealing with. Clearly, dealing with a large cast is not one of my stronger suits.
> 
> I'm saying this because it's just come to my attention, on another one of my fics, that my writing style for conversations and interactions between many characters feels kind of awkward and stiff. This feedback's been on my mind ever since, and I'm taking a hard, long look at how I'm writing this chapter, because it's clear to me these kinds of scenes are crucial for the last leg of this fic. For now, I don't think there's anything I could do about it since I'm already settled on how the climactic showdown is going to go down, but I'll try my best to keep it under control.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	34. Yuri's Leap:Kimiko's Leap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the ever-worsening situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I'm going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:
> 
> -Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer  
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick  
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)  
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly  
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
> 
> And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:
> 
> -Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough  
-Not sharing food and drinks with others  
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)  
-Avoiding close contact with others  
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects  
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)  
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)
> 
> If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

**CHAPTER 32: YURI'S LEAP:KIMIKO'S LEAP**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - ** _ **Post-Afterlife Name** _

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Takamatsu - _Takayoshi Asahara_

Yusa - _Rikana Egami_

Eri Shiina - _C_

* * *

_ **ACTIVATING_SECONDARY_** _ ** _PROTOCOL_ **

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* * *

**The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters  
Chiyoda, Tokyo**

"You've got no idea how happy I am to see you guys again!"

Iwasawa stepped forward and wrapped TK and Ōyama in a tight embrace. Ōyama blushed brightly almost immediately in response, but TK simply spouted off a couple additional phrases in English as he returned the hug. Once she parted from them, she noticed the absolutely confounded expression on Ōyama's face.

"W-Wa-Wait, wh-wh-where _are_ we?!" the boy cried, his head whipping around as he examined his surroundings. "Di-Did-Didn't we move on?! Wh-Wh-Why d-do I s-s-still kn-kn-know wh-who I am?! A-And who you _all_ are?!"

"It's a little complicated," Iwasawa replied. "We'll explain everything on the way over." At that moment, she spotted Naoi, who was staring back at her with an air of apprehension. "Hey there. You must be...Naoi, right?"

"Y-Yes, that's me..." Naoi replied in an uneasy tone that did not go unnoticed by Iwasawa.

"Relax, man. Otonashi told me a little about you during our downtime." She held out a hand towards him, and once Naoi slowly took it with his own, the two adolescents shook hands. "It's a damn shame we never were properly acquainted in the Afterlife."

"Sa-Same..."

Then, Iwasawa broke her hand away from Naoi's and looked at Chaa, who was now holding Natsumi in his beefy, bulging arms.

"Chaa," she said.

"Iwasawa," the tanned, large teen replied. "Good to see you again after all this time."

"Oh, I'm sure." Then, Iwasawa looked at Hiroto and noticed he was absolutely red-faced, which she smirked playfully at. "Hey there, newbie. What the hell is with that face? You're not feeling sick, are you?"

"N-No, I'm not!" Hiroto replied defiantly. Then, he turned his face away and started twiddling his fingers discreetly behind his back. "I-It's just...y-your voice was beautiful, th-that's all..."

Now it was Iwasawa's turn to blush intensely. "B-Be-Beau-_Beautiful_?!" she stuttered.

"Mm-hm, mm-hm!" Natsumi replied, nodding her head vigorously. "Hasumi-neechan's singing is always beautiful!"

"O-Oh..."

However, Iwasawa's mind was racing from Hiroto's compliment. _"Beautiful... That... That was the first time someone has called my voice...'beautiful'... Back in the Afterlife, my music was valued more as a diversionary tactic for the SSS. Sure, everyone enjoyed my music, but...no one really appreciated it for what it was at its core. And during my previous life, no one really gave me a sincere compliment on the street. This is the first time I've heard _anyone_ tell me my music, and my voice specifically, were beautiful... Someone thinks my singing is beautiful, without any context of the Afterlife, and...and it's _Sekozawa_ of all people..."_

Just then, Iwasawa's thoughts were dispelled by Naoi's voice.

"Look, guys, I know the reunion's great and all, but we have to keep moving! Otonashi and the others need us-" At that moment, Naoi had turned his head towards the doorway and noticed an alarming absence. "Uhhhhh... W-Where the hell is Fujimaki? O-Or whoever he's supposed to be right now?!"

"Fujimaki?" Iwasawa asked, alarmed. She looked around, only to see he was indeed not around.

"Oh crap, he's not here!" exclaimed Chaa, looking around in a panic while holding Natsumi even tighter to his chest. "He must've made a run for it while we were all distracted! Who the hell was supposed to be keeping an eye on him?!"

"Y-_You_ were!" Naoi snapped.

"Wait, _Fujimaki's_ here?" Ōyama asked, his youthful, innocent eyes glimmering with hope at the mention of his best friend in the Afterlife.

"Yes, Fujimaki's here," Chaa replied. "But...well...he's not the same Fujimaki that you know..."

"Shit..." Hiroto said. He walked out of the medical bay and looked down the empty hallway. "We gotta find him before he tells those cultists where we are."

"Cultists?" Ōyama asked. Then, he clutched his head, overwhelmed by the sensory overload of information. "W-Wh-What cultists? C-Can someone _please_ explain to me what the heck is going on?!"

"Yo, this shit is confusing like _crazy_!" TK blurted out in English.

...

"Yeah, it's good to see your reincarnated self isn't all that different from you, TK..." deadpanned Naoi.

* * *

"Ah, crap... Ah, shit, shit, shit..."

As soon as he reached the stairwell, Fuyuhiko Ezakiya curled up against a corner and looked up at the miles-long chasm towering above him. His eyes were as wide as saucers, his beady pupils could not stand still, and his entire frame was so close to achieving a fetal position.

"Can't get me," he mumbled maniacally to himself. "Can't get the best of me! You're just a damn voice in my head!"

Suddenly, he snapped his head backward and clutched his chest...before looking down at the floor, his eyes now more at peace.

"Let me go!" cried Fujimaki. "Damn psycho! How the hell did I- AGH!"

Fujimaki grabbed at his own face and held on tight, as if he was trying to tear it off. Then, after a couple of seconds, the boy calmed down and lowered his twitchy arms...revealing a pair of manic eyes.

"Heh heh heh!" snickered Fuyuhiko. "You can't stop the power of the cult! We are gonna do _so many_ things to this world! So many COOL things! So just be a _good frigging sport_ and-"

He suddenly hit himself in the chest.

"Shut."

He hit himself again.

"The."

A third hit.

"Fuck."

A fourth hit.

"UP!"

He punched himself in the face, split-seconds before he clutched his head again and let out a scream of anger.

"NEVER!" Fujimaki roared. "I'll _never_ let you hurt my friends! Never again! I'll- AAARRRGGGHHH!"

Fujimaki reeled over, clutching the handrail of the stairwell as tightly as he could with one hand, while his other clutched his face yet again. His entire body began twitching and convulsing for a minute. Then, his body propelled itself back into the wall.

"Shit!" snapped Fuyuhiko. "Goddamn it! You can't get the best of me, voice in my head!" With that, he knelt on the floor, held his hands together, and began chanting, "Oh, dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form- ACK!"

"NO!" Fujimaki growled. "That won't do SHIT to me! AGH!"

Fuyuhiko retook control. "FUCK YOU! Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change. Almighty _Ka_\- AAAGGGHHH!"

Fujimaki stood up and tried to reach the doorway. "Gotta get back to the oth- NO! UGH!"

Fuyuhiko fell to the floor and started writhing on the dirty surface. "Move through our Earth!" he squealed in desperation, his voice getting faster and faster with every word he spoke. "Feed it your energy! Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth- NO!" He grabbed his hair. "Grant its beings your gift of life! And-"

"Your gods won't help you, ya bastard!" Fujimaki cried as he started crawling towards the door. "I'm gonna see to it that all your friends pay for everything that they've done!" He stopped and grabbed his hair again. "And after I am done with them all, I'll see to it that you... AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

Fuyuhiko had begun pulling his hair hard, but Fujimaki persisted.

"That you are in a deep, dark place where your sorry, pathetic little ass won't hurt another human being ever, ever again! I promise you that, Fuyuhiko Ezakiya! You are a miserable excuse for a human being, and I'll make sure you're punished, no matter what it takes!"

"NOOO!" Fuyuhiko screamed as he retook control yet again. He clasped his hands together, his eyes wide and shining for the first time, with absolute fear. "And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits!"

With that, the psychopathic adolescent got up on his feet and faced the faded wall in front of him. Before Fujimaki could take control again, Fuyuhiko ran into the wall so hard that he knocked himself out cold.

* * *

"Well, uhhh... That was strange..."

The entirety of Fujimaki and Fuyuhiko's fight had been observed by Yamashita and his companion via security monitor as Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei remained bound a few feet away. Once Fuyuhiko knocked himself and Fujimaki out, Yamashita turned away with a sigh of disappointment, while his accomplice continued to stare at the screen in disbelief.

"Uh, sir?" the man asked. "Sh-Should we send someone to get him?"

"No," Yamashita replied. "As you can see, Ezakiya has finally lost his mind."

"B-But...he might need medical att-"

"I've already spoken on the matter." Yamashita silenced his compatriot with a deadly glare. "I won't question Hashimoto-sama's decision to retain him as an elite soldier for our cause, but he's damaged goods now. And if we are to ensure the advent of a new, better Japan, then we can't afford anything that'll weigh us down."

"Y-Yes, sir. I-I understand, sir."

"Alright, now let's focus on Nishimura again."

The man pressed a button on the keyboard before him, switching the largest security monitor to a live feed of Kimiko in the elevator, surrounded by the team of tactical officers working with the cult. Any fear that should have been present on her face was being suppressed by a mask of bravery. Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei eyed the screen fearfully, but otherwise, they didn't bother to resist again.

As they recoiled in their chairs, Yamashita stared at the three children, his lips curling into a sadistic grin. When Naomi could do nothing but show her gritted teeth, he walked up to them, procuring his Bowie knife along the way.

"Don't worry, you three. Your onee-chan's on her way..."

* * *

**_"It's just too unfair. We never did anything wrong; we were just kids. ...We were just _kids_. I was confident I was the cool big sister up until that day. But I lost everything I wanted to protect in 30 minutes. That's too unfair. How could I ever forgive God for that?"_**

_32..._

_33..._

_34..._

Kimiko stared determinedly at the screen as it continued to count the floors the elevator was passing as it continued ascending upward to the top floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters. Then, the magenta-haired girl glanced across her shoulder, inspecting the officer standing by her flank, his assault rifle at the ready. He looked back at her through his peripheral vision while giving a smirk, as if he was mentally challenging her to try and resist.

She glanced at the screen again as it continued counting the floors.

_35..._

_36..._

_37..._

_"'How could I ever forgive God for that'? Those words, they sound so _familiar_...and yet, I'd _never_ say those words. Why? Why would I ever blame God for anything? Unless...those aren't _my_ memories, but-"_

Her thoughts were cut off by the elevator bell ringing, signaling the group's arrival at their intended destination. As soon as the elevator doors slid open, Yuri the cat hopped out of the compartment without so much as a meow, dashed down the adjacent hallway, and went out of sight. Kimiko watched it abruptly go with a pang of shock and loneliness; whatever was about to happen, she was hoping she would at least have company and support in the form of the feline.

Suddenly, she felt something long and branch-like but metallic nudging her forward.

"Move," the team leader ordered behind her.

Kimiko pursed her lips. "Which way?" she asked hesitantly.

"Left."

Kimiko tightened her lips further, but rather than deliver a snappy comeback, she proceeded leftward as instructed. She heard the officers following right behind her, plus the shifting and clicking of metal, indicating they were all pointing their rifles out her to make sure she didn't try any funny ideas.

_"Crap,"_ she thought. _"This Yamashita guy really sent out the cavalry just for me... How the hell am I gonna fight my way out of this if this turns out to be a trap?"_

**_"It's a _trap_, Nishimura! Don't _listen_ to him!"_**

_"Damn it, Otonashi... This probably _is_ a trap..."_ It took all of the self-restraint Kimiko to muster to not make any sudden glances to her sides or behind her. _"Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! Why the hell did I _agree_ to this?! One mention of Naomi, Tamika-chan, and Kaisei-chan, and I was putty in this Yamashita guy's hands!"_

Just then, Kimiko reached a doorway, which she nearly bumped into during her preoccupation with her thoughts. Kimiko gazed drearily at it before finally looking over her shoulder. The tactical team was still behind her with their rifles trained on her back.

"Is...Is this supposed to be the place...?" she asked.

"Yes, it is," the team leader replied. "Now open the door."

Kimiko felt her heart stop beating. In the horrible, cold silence that followed, she could feel a sinking sensation within her stomach, a sensation that made her consider all of her life choices.

"Well?" another officer asked. "What're ya just standin' around there for?! Open the goddamn door! Yamashita's waiting!"

Kimiko tried her best to show courage. "Wh-Wh-Why exactly should I tr-tr-trust you? H-How am I s-supposed that isn't a tr-tr-trap...?"

The team leader lowered his weapon and took a deep breath. Then, he walked forward, almost making Kimiko afraid that he would do something to her in retaliation towards her defiance and nosiness.

Instead, he grabbed the doorknob and opened the door for her.

"Because your sisters and brother are there, that's why!" he snapped.

Kimiko gasped and looked behind her, into the room. It was mostly dark, with the only source of light being a set of pale-green security monitors that were vaguely flickering, giving the entire room a semblance to some death chamber. Then, she noticed the three children holding onto one another and trembling in fear, just a few feet from the doorway.

"NAOMI!" she cried loudly in immense relief. "TAMIKA-CHAN! KAISEI-CHAN!"

"ONEE-CHAN!" Kaisei wailed, breaking away from his sisters and running towards his eldest sibling.

Kimiko didn't waste anymore time. She burst into a full-on sprint, amplified by the fact that she did not hear any sounds of resistance coming from the officers. Within seconds, the two embraced, with them crying into each other's shoulder.

"Onee-chan!" Kaisei wailed again, his voice slightly muffled by Kimiko's shirt.

"It's okay, Kaisei!" Kimiko replied, her tears cascading down her cheeks and staining her brother's own shirt. "It's okay! I'm here! I'm here..."

"Nee-chan!" Tamika cried as she joined the hug.

"Tamika-chan!" Kimiko embraced her youngest sister next. "Ohhhhhh, I'm so GLAD that you're okay! What..." She broke the hug and stared deep into Tamika's eyes. "What were you _thinking_, sneaking past our protective detail and going out on your _own_ like that?!"

"I'm sorry, Kimiko-neesan!" Tamika began to weep into Kimiko's shoulder as well. "I'm so, so sorry! It was all my fault!"

"Shhh, shhh, shhhh!" Kimiko tightened her embrace around her younger sister. "It's okay, Tamika-chan, it's okay. It's no one's fault. It's no one's fault..."

In that moment, Kimiko didn't even think about shooting an accusatory glare at Naomi's direction like she usually would. Once she broke away from Tamika and finally got the chance to look at Naomi in full, Kimiko hesitated for a brief period, her voice catching itself in her throat. On one hand, she wanted to take on the stern maternal role she would always use whenever her sister got herself into trouble. On the other...she felt nothing but immense relief at seeing Naomi alive and barely unscathed.

The terrified, grief-stricken look on Naomi's face won Kimiko over, and the two sisters embraced amicably.

"NEE-CHAN!" wailed Naomi, her voice absolutely childish in that moment. "**NEE-CHAN**!"

"It's alright, Naomi!" Kimiko replied, trying to sound brave for not just Naomi, but Tamika and Kaisei as well. "It's alright! We're all together again, the four of us! You don't have to cry anymore! None of you have to! I promise you, everything's gonna be _alright_-"

"Don't make promises you can't keep," a drawling voice interrupted.

Kimiko, Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei all looked behind them to see Yamashita emerge from the shadows, accompanied by his corrupt police officer compatriot. Yamashita was wearing his golden cloak again, complete with the drawn hood, along with the dead rabbit doubling as a necklace. Kimiko could feel the hairs on her body standing up straight, accentuated by a wave of a shiver that swept down her entire body.

"Nishimura," Yamashita completed with a terrible grin.

Kimiko tried her best to harden her expression. "You must be...Yamashita."

"Indeed I am..." Yamashita stuck out his chin slightly in pride. "I must admit, I _am_ impressed by how far you've made it. You _and_ your friends. Somehow, all of you managed to acquire firearms and are now well-trained in their usage. That is quite an impressive feat for a young child such as yourself."

"Well," Kimiko spat, "you have no idea _what_ I am, or _can be_, capable of when my siblings' lives are at risk."

Yamashita chuckled. "Such a noble, protective onee-san. Truly, you put other onee-sans to shame."

Kimiko arched an eyebrow. "Is that a..._compliment_ I'm hearing from your mouth?" she asked.

The golden-cloaked man seemed to ignore her. "Ohhh, I wish I had an onee-san such as you! Unfortunately..." His lower lip twitched unpleasantly. "I had to contend with being all alone...in the slums...the dirty, filthy slums...toiling in not just my own misery, but that of others whose intellect was clearly _beneath_ mine..." He clenched his fists as his cheerful voice slowly transformed into a vicious growl. "I was a genius who had to commiserate with the plights of lesser _fools_... That... That was the life I thought I was doomed to...until _he_ saved me... Sadahiro Hashimoto..."

"Oh, so _you're_ just doing that madman a favor," Kimiko snarled in response. "_That's_ what this whole thing's been about? Is that why you and your people continued on with your mission, even after you learned of Hashimoto's death?"

"You're quite the insightful girl, are you?"

Kimiko pursed her lips. "But now you said you wanted to negotiate."

"So?"

"_So_...let's negotiate."

"Oh, _yeees_..." The hatred and self-loathing faded away from Yamashita's face and was gradually replaced with a sadistic giddiness that Kimiko was too late to notice. "_Let's_!"

Upon that cue, the tactical officers rushed past Kimiko and restrained Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei. She watched in frozen horror as black rifle barrels pressed into the backs of her siblings' heads. The room became filled with Naomi's wheezing, Tamika's weeping, and Kaisei's wailing. Then, before she could react, she felt a rifle barrel of her own press into the back of her neck.

"Don't move, girly," the team leader whispered behind her. "Unless you wanna see your siblings' blood painting the soles of your feet."

Kimiko stared at Yamashita in horror, only to see his lips curling into a smug, satisfied grin. She held back a throaty gasp before narrowing her sea-green eyes.

"You...You _bastard_!" she cried. "You never _were_ planning on negotiating, were you?!"

"Once again, you are quite insightful, Nishimura," Yamashita replied triumphantly. "But unfortunately, your insight seems to have a bit of a delay. Perhaps you should've trusted the judgment of your friends-"

"THEY'RE NOT MY **FRIENDS**!"

Yamashita blinked with surprise. "Really now?" Then, he smirked again. "Well then, I hope you don't mind us reneging on my word to let your friends leave this place by themselves."

Kimiko's eyes widened even more. "_WHAT_?!"

"What, did you _really_ expect me to keep _any_ of the promises I made to you? After all we've been through?"

Yamashita snickered as he walked towards the security monitors. Though they were not facing her, Kimiko could still see the live feeds that were being displayed on the screens. The golden-cloaked man pressed a button, allowing some of the monitors to focus on a live recording of the SSS being ambushed by police officers.

Kimiko felt her heart drop to her stomach the moment Yui took a bullet for Hinata.

"Ohhhhh, poor Kimiko Nishimura," Yamashita said. "You should've put your faith on those who truly cared for you."

* * *

**Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo**

Hinata laid his trembling blue eyes upon Yui's motionless body as the blood continued to pool outward. To him, the entire world around him had crumbled away and vanished. He didn't care if the cultists continued shooting at him. Instead, he collapsed to his knees, unknowingly dodging a half-dozen bullets as he did so. Then, after a couple of seconds that were spent staring at her body, he stretched his arms out and scooped Yui's body into his arms. Finally, he stood up, just as a bullet traveled straight through his thigh.

"Ugh," he moaned halfheartedly as he felt his leg quaking with immense pain. The familiar crimson liquid dropped down his thigh, his shin, and all the way to his ankle and shoe. But he didn't care, not in the slightest. The love of his life was now dead, and he wanted nothing more than to join her.

He didn't even get to spend what limited amount of time he had in the real world to express his love for her.

"HEY!" a dim voice shouted, barely reaching Hinata's eardrums through the fog of pain and unspeakable grief. "HEY, YOU CULTIST SCUM! OVER HERE!"

In the ebbing scope of his peripheral vision, Hinata saw the cultists redirect their attention away from him. A split-second later, some unknown pulled him away from the middle of the street. The sudden yank finally jolted life back into him, and the teenager looked around in terror, while an excruciating pain started creeping up his thigh and spreading through the rest of his body. At the same time, another pair of arms snaked into view and grabbed Yui's body. As soon as he realized what was happening, Hinata tightened his grip.

"NO!" he cried with unmatched fury and desperation. "DON'T TAKE ME AWAY FROM HER! LET ME JOIN HER! **PLEASE**!"

"No, wait!" a vaguely familiar voice shouted at him. "She's breathing! Let me check on her, honey! _Please_!"

"Onii-chan!" a second familiar voice cried. "Let Mom look at her! Please, Onii-chan!"

The second voice suddenly caused Hinata to experience a memory...a memory that was not his...

** _"So, you enjoying that ice cream?"_ **

** _"Mm-hm!"_ **

** _"Sorry if you were scared back at Kimmie's. I told you there'd be cops there, but I didn't know security was buffed up in recent days."_ **

** _"I-I-It's o-okay... I-I wasn't s-sc-sc-scared..."_ **

** _"You were holding onto my arm tightly until we arrived here. _ ** ** _You pretty much cut off the blood flow in that arm. _ ** ** _You were crying for a half-hour. _ ** ** _You were calling out for your mom and dad. Y_ ** ** _eah, I'd say you weren't scared at all."_ **

** _"Eeeeekkkkk..."_ **

** _"Heh heh heh. But you did well, talking to Kimmie back there."_ **

** _"You-You think so?!"_ **

** _"Of course! I'm impressed, not to mention proud. Keep it up, Yumie. Soon, everyone will want to be your friend. I mean, who wouldn't want to be your friend?"_ **

** _"THANK YOU, ONII-CHAN!"_ **

Hinata's grip slackened around Yui's body, allowing whoever was grabbing onto her to lift her away from his arms. Then, a second pair of hands latched themselves around Hinata's shoulders and turned him around.

"Naotatsu-kun!" snapped another familiar voice, the anger reverberating. "What the _hell_ are you doing?! Fighting th-that _cult_?! Getting yourself _shot_?! Are you out of your mind right now?!"

The forcefulness of the voice caused something to spark within Hinata. He blinked with a gasp and shook his head. For a moment, he felt like he had become someone else. Then, he turned his head and saw a familiar boy looking back at him. This boy bore a striking resemblance to him, only he was younger. In an infinitesimal moment, Hinata didn't know who or _what_ he was looking at.

Then, he heard a voice inside his head.

_"Yuuji-kun."_

"Yuuji-kun?" Hinata asked slowly.

"Oh, thank God!" another voice cried.

Hinata looked beside Yuuji and saw an older couple looking at him with concern. The woman looked immensely relieved as she examined Yui's still body, while the man had some sternness and outrage mixed into his expression. It didn't take Hinata long to recognize them as well.

"Mom?!" he exclaimed. "Dad?! Wh...What're _you guys_ doing here?!"

"We're here to get you and take you home!" Yuuji's father cried. "Don't you dare think for another _moment_ that you'll be fighting against these...these _lunatics_! You're lucky Officer Sekine was kind and brave enough to take us to you!"

"Officer..." Hinata paused. "Wait, Officer _Sekine_?"

"Yes, he's fighting those cultists right now! Now let your mother look at your leg!"

Just as his (or rather Naotatsu's) mother attended to his gunshot wound, Hinata looked over his shoulder, just in time to see who exactly had diverted the officers' attentions away from him and Yui. It was a young, blond, scared-looking man dressed in a rather simple police uniform, who was firing a revolver at the tactical team. As soon as he ran out of bullets, he took cover behind an abandoned newspaper stand so he could reload. While he was doing that, the rest of the SSS, sensing he was there to help, covered him by firing their own guns at the tactical officers.

Then, Hinata remembered why exactly he went out onto the street in the first place. Right behind him, shielding him and Yui from the cultists, enshrouded in billowing silver smoke, was a family SUV...which he recognized as the Yunokawas'. In the vehicle, he could see two teenage girls and a teenage boy taking shelter inside; the boy and one of the girls looked familiar, but he couldn't see much of their features due to the cracked windows.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Yuuji's mother suddenly exclaimed. "It's just a flesh wound."

"It is?!" the father cried. "Thank the heavens!"

"Yes, it's through-and-through. Just let me bandage it. Uhhh...Naotatsu-kun! Give me your jacket!"

Hinata absentmindedly looked down and realized, for the first time, he was wearing that article of clothing. Ever since his return to the real world, he never gave a thought about what his reincarnated self might've been like before this incident even took place.

"Naotatsu!" barked the father, his voice sterner than ever. "We don't have time for this! Give your mother the jacket this instant!"

Hinata sensed Naotatsu was not one to tolerate his father's anger. In spite of this, he could only remove the jacket in an off-putting, lazy manner. His mother retrieved it and wrapped it tightly around his thigh, causing the blue-haired boy to wince.

Just then, through the small haze of pain, he heard Yuuji call out to him.

"Onii-chan! O-Onii-chan, your friend, Y-Yumie-chan, she's-she's awake!"

Life filled Hinata's eyes again as he laid his blue pupils upon Yui's form. To his absolute surprise, she was stirring, almost twitching. He immediately scrambled over to her in desperation.

"Yui!" he called while cradling her head into his arms. "Yui, YUI! Can you hear me?!"

Yui inched her tear- and dirt-streaked face to look at him. "Hin..._Hinata_...?"

Hinata restrained a half-sobbing, half-gasping noise. "Y-Yes, Yui, it's me... It's Hinata... Are-Are you okay?"

Off to the side, Yuuji whispered in confusion, "Hinata? Yui?"

"I...I think so..." Yui replied. Then, her face scrunched up a little, as if she was trying to scrutinize her own pain. "In...In fact...I...I don't feel...a-_anything_..."

"You don't feel anything?" Hinata's concern started to shoot upward. "H-How is that _possible_?!"

"Your friend was shot somewhere in the lower back," Yuuji's mother suddenly explained. "I couldn't risk moving her body much because of it, but..." Her face started to fill with horror. "If...If she can't _feel_ anything..."

Hinata started to sense where this was going. He furiously glared at the woman, the strange woman he was supposed to call his own mother.

"Don't say that," he snarled. "Don't you DARE say that!"

"Naotatsu-kun!" the father yelled. "Don't talk to your mother that-"

"MY NAME ISN'T NAOTATSU!" Hinata roared. "AT LEAST NOT FOR NOW, SO JUST SHUT UP AND GO FIND SOMEPLACE TO HIDE!"

"You DARE?!"

The utterly enraged man rolled up his sleeve and prepared to hit Hinata as punishment, but his wife grabbed his arm and stopped him. At the same time, Yui let out a terrified wheeze, catching Hinata's attention again.

"Y-Yui-chan?" he asked.

"Hin...Hinata..." the pink-haired girl whimpered. "I...I can't feel..._anything_..."

"Y-Ye-Yes." The teenage boy tried his best to give her a straight face of bright optimism. "You-You told me that already-"

"N-No, I mean..." Tears started to well around the corners of her eyes, a sight that Hinata's heart broke at. "I _can't_ feel anything... Not even my...my own..." She hiccuped. "My own body!"

Hinata's heart fell as he watched Yui, the most optimistic and upbeat girl he ever knew, become increasingly frantic and horrified. Her pupils were dilated and trembling, and her skin was becoming paler and paler with every passing second.

"I can't move! I-I can't move, Hinata! I...I can't _move_ my body!"

* * *

_ **"...I'm not surprised you'd be into this for the fame and glory, even if you already have everything."** _

_ **"Everything? HA! I'm flattered, dude, but trust me, I have ** _ **nothing** _ **-"** _

Royama yelled out loud in surprised terror as he took cover behind a mailbox. A split-second later, he could hear bullets whizzing and ricocheting all around him. In his peripheral vision, he could see the SSS members that remained firing at the attackers. Their vigor and motivation seemed to have shot up the moment the girl named Yui got shot in the back.

Trying to steady his breath, Royama raised his stolen gun with a trembling hand and tried to reload it, using his memory of the SSS doing the exact same thing. However, this proved to be a monumental task for him to shoulder. First of all, he couldn't figure out how to release the so-called magazine from the rest of the complicated-looking firearm. Second of all, how was he supposed to know that the gun would be locked and loaded once he put in the new, fully-loaded magazine? He could see he had to do something else as soon as he put the new magazine in, but he forgot what.

_"Shit,"_ he thought as he struggled to detach the magazine had right now. _"Shit, shit, shit, why the hell did I-? Goddamn, this has gotta be the millionth time I asked myself this! I have to stop asking myself this! You got yourself in this mess, Fuyumi! You and you alone! You've made it this far, so you might as well go all the way, right?! I mean, how the hell are you gonna get through this if you don't?!"_

_ **"No, you don't? You've got every last freaking thing any regular member of society could ask for. A permanent home, a steady lifestyle, a clear-cut vision of the future, possessions to call your own, people who love you-"** _

_ **"No, I don't."** _

_ **"Yes, you do-"** _

_ **"No, I ** _ **don't** _ **."** _

Finally, the boy found the release button and hurriedly removed the spent magazine with a trembling hand. As he loaded the new magazine, he heard a groaning noise, and he gazed at C's body, which was lying just a few centimeters away. To his surprise, she was stirring.

"H-Hey!" he cried, scrambling over to her side. "Hey, you alright?! Wake up, wake up!"

"Yo, newbie!" another voice called, startling Royama. He watched as Hisako took advantage of a lull in the gunfire to run right behind his hiding spot. "Tell me, what's the plan?!"

"Wh-Whaddaya _mean_ what's the plan?!" exclaimed the redhead.

"Exactly what it says on paper," Hisako deadpanned. She reloaded her gun with quick, almost professional expertise, and Royama watched as she pulled the firearm's slide to complete the process. "Come on, you _must_ have some sort of plan!"

"W-Wh-Why the heck are you a-asking _me_?!" Royama was momentarily distracted by another groan coming from C. "I-I don't know _shit_! I'm-I'm still trying to follow what's going on! A-And..." He blinked rapidly. "I-I thought I was nothing but a pervert and an idiot!"

"Well, you still are, dumbass!" Hisako immediately grabbed his shoulders and stared into his half-terrified eyes. "But still, you are now the only one in our group who knows Yuri's reincarnated self well!"

"Re-Reincarnate- Y-You mean Kimiko?!"

"Yes, her!" The brunette girl shook him slightly. "She's your leader, right?"

"W-We-Well, sh-she's our _club_ leader, b-but I don't-"

"Then _surely_ you have an idea on what she'd say in a situation like this! What her next order would be!"

"How the hell should I know?!" Royama yanked himself away from Hisako's grasp. "We've never done _anything_ like this!"

Hisako blinked in surprise. "_Never_?"

"Never! Why do you think I'm still alive?!" Then, Royama took a deep breath. "Look, I don't know what Kimiko would say in this scenario. S-She told us to hightail it when she followed those cops! She never said anything about what we should do if we were followed by anyone!"

"Goddamn it!"

Hisako's outburst was punctuated by several bullets striking the mailbox. Royama looked around frantically and could see Hinata taking shelter with Yui and a few civilians behind the totaled SUV, while a police officer joined Miyuki and Shiori in diverting the cultists' gunfire.

Then, he felt someone shove his shoulder, and Royama looked up to see Hisako's irritated face.

"God_damn_ it!" she shouted at him. "You're fucking USELESS!"

_ **"Look, life has never treated me well my whole life. I'm barely scraping by in school, I've got parents who've given up on me a long time ago, no serious plans for the future...and I may have friends in the club, but no matter what, I wind up being the butt of their jokes, sooner or later-"** _

_ **"Unsurprising, given your attitude."** _

"PULL OUT THE _BAZOOKA_!" a voice called.

"They have a _bazooka_?!" Miyuki screamed over the chaos.

Royama and Hisako peeked their heads out from the mailbox, just in time to see one of the cultists, a short, stubby man, retreat to the back of the pack, carrying a considerably large suitcase. Royama's eyes widened in horrified realization.

_"Shit! That must be the bazooka! They pull it out, we're all frigging _dead_!"_

"Everyone, run for it!" shouted the policeman assisting Miyuki and Shiori.

Royama glanced at Hinata's position, only to see him (against the best wishes of the civilians) desperately trying to pick up Yui, who was apparently unable to move. The doors of the SUV flew open, and Rikana, Sachiyo, and Touya emerged, bearing visible injuries; Sachiyo was limping visibly. Then, he looked at C, who was still stirring and grimacing, but in no shape to move on her own.

Finally, he looked at the cultists, as the short one opened up the suitcase to reveal something long and metallic.

_ **"Yeah, ** _ **exactly** _ **. No one takes me seriously...and yeah, I guess I'm partially to blame for that as well. I guess that's what I get for striving for something that's way out there such as respect..."** _

**_"God_damn_ it! You're fucking USELESS!"_**

Royama pulled the slide of his own gun...before emerging from the mailbox and dashing towards the cultists, firing wildly and letting out a fearful battle-cry.

_ **"But it's all I've got in life!"** _

Surprised by Royama's sudden assault, many of the cultists took cover behind the nearest obstacles, including the short one trying to take out the bazooka. Unfortunately, a couple of them fired back almost instantly. Royama felt a bullet whiz past his ear, nicking the tip of it. Then, he felt a second bullet graze the right side of his neck, leaving behind a noticeable cut that oozed small amounts of blood. Next, he felt a third bullet tear right through his left shoulder, knocking his hand away from the grip of his gun and causing him to accidentally drop it.

Finally, Royama felt a fourth, larger bullet quickly, relentlessly piercing his hip, followed by the excruciating sensation of what he could only describe as an internal explosion within that area. The ringing noise from all of the gunfire prevented him from hearing his own scream of agony as he felt to the pavement.

In his peripheral vision, he saw Hisako's eyes widen in horror. She then tried to fire at the cultists, but they fired back at her, forcing her to take cover behind the mailbox again.

At that point, it was as if time was slowing down for Royama. He looked up and saw some of the cultists reloading while smirking down at him. One of them was approaching his fallen body, a large handgun in hand. The man's lips moved but Royama couldn't decipher a single word that he said.

Whatever the cultist was saying, it was likely the last thing Royama's eardrums would register in his life, for the man was raising the gun and aiming for his forehead.

_"No,"_ Royama thought helplessly. _"No, no, no... This can't be it... This can't be how I go..."_

Then, as time slowed down ever further in his perception, Royama saw Hinata successfully carrying Yui in his arms while fleeing with the civilians. As for Sachiyo, she was being supported by Rikana and the police officer as they fled alongside Shiori and Touya, the latter of whom was still carrying his nifty laptop. Meanwhile, a panicked Miyuki had sprinted over to Hisako's position and was trying to drag the struggling brunette away from the danger.

Royama took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and smiled softly.

_"Well...at least I did _something_ right for a change. Even if I did it in my usual idiotic manner."_

As the ringing noise died down in his ears, he heard the cultist chuckling over him.

_"That should be worth it."_

"HAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!" a familiar voice hollered loudly.

"What the- ARGH!"

Royama's eyelids flew open, and he weakly looked over to see a familiar-looking girl brutally whacking the cultist's wrist with a wooden shinai. His large handgun flew right out of his grasp and clattered towards a nearby street gutter. Before the man could react, the girl powerfully slapped him in the face with the other end of the shinai, knocking him headfirst into a trashcan.

The other cultists tried to fire at her, but the girl moved with stunning, almost superhuman agility, using her feet to hop from the sidewalk to a wall to a lamppost before finally launching herself into the air. The cultists aimed their guns at her, but within one second, she used a sweep of her shinai to knock all of their guns away from their grasp. She then used a second sweep to brutally smack all of the attackers in the face, stunning them. Once she finally landed on the pavement, she used a third sweep to strike all of their legs, knocking them to the ground.

Finally, with a graceful twirl and a fourth, more brutal sweep of her wooden shinai, she hit every last cultist in the face a second time and knocked them all out. Royama watched with fascination as the cultists silently collapsed, one by one, in a circle around the girl, like they were a line of dominoes being tipped over one at a time.

Once the last man collapsed to the pavement, the girl straightened herself out and turned towards Royama. Even though his vision was blurring with tears, he could see his savior was C.

"Holy crap..." the boy said with wonder. Then, the corner of his eye caught movement, and he inched his head to see the short cultist scrambling for the open suitcase. "Behind you!"

C didn't waste any time. With another yell, she launched herself into the air, raised her shinai, and swung it down on the man's head, knocking him out before he could even touch the bazooka. Then, she straightened up again and twirled her shinai around before finally resting it upon her shoulder.

"How foolish," she said.

"Shiina!" a voice cried.

A second later, Royama saw Hisako jump over him to reunite with the ninja-like girl. At the same time, Miyuki ran over to his side and tried to tend to his wounds, only to make him wince with every administration.

"Sh-Shiina!" Hisako cried again while grabbing C's shoulders. When the ninja stared back at her, the brunette seemed to realize her mistake. "I-I mean C! I-I'm-"

"No," C interrupted, her voice devoid of any emotion. "That was correct."

"C-Come...a-again...?" croaked Royama while he strained from the immense pain washing over him.

C stared at him, a small, almost indiscernible glimmer of confusion passing through her eyes. Then, after regarding her surroundings for a moment, she spoke again.

"I am indeed Shiina." She looked at Hisako. "I do not know this C that you speak of."

* * *

"I can't move my body, Hinata! I can't move my body, I can't move my body, I can't move my _body_!"

"It's alright, Yui! I got you! I got you!"

Carrying Yui bridal-style in his arms, Hinata ran down the street alongside Naotatsu's family. He just heard the sounds of Shiina's familiar yelling, followed by the gunfire subsiding abruptly. Once it was clear the cultists were no longer a threat, Hinata stopped in the middle of an intersection and slowly, carefully laid Yui on the asphalt.

"NAOTATSU-KUN!" barked Naotatsu's father. "Why'd you stop running?! We have to keep moving!"

"I have to check on her!" Hinata snapped back. "If you wanna leave, you're gonna have to go without me!"

The man clenched his fists and marched up to him threateningly. "DON'T YOU DARE TALK BACK TO ME, YOUNG MAN! WE DON'T HAVE THE TIME FOR THIS! WE-!"

"With all due respect, sir!" Hinata shot a look so sudden and unflinching in its scathing nature that Naotatsu's father was taken aback. "You don't understand what exactly is going on here!"

The father quickly recovered from his shock at Hinata's rebuttal. "HOW **DARE** YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT, NAO-"

"I am NOT your son, sir!" When the man was stunned, Hinata sighed but continued using his defiant, forceful tone. "I'm sorry, but I really am not! You won't be able to reach your son, at least not yet! So for now, the only thing you and your family can do is find shelter! Please, for Naotatsu's sake, find shelter and-"

"DO YOU THINK THIS IS A **GAME**, NAOTATSU YUNOKAWA?!" Naotatsu's father hollered, his voice drowning out Hinata's. Then, he continued marching towards Hinata while rolling up his sleeves. "YOU LEAVE ME NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO-!"

"DON'T, DAD!"

Yuuji sprung forth and grabbed his father's wrist before he could raise it. The man shot his younger son a terrifying glare that would've made anyone else wet their pants.

"LET GO OF ME, YUUJI!" he roared.

"NO!" Yuuji replied defiantly. "I KNOW MY ONII-CHAN, AND THAT'S NOT HIM!"

The man tore his wrist away from Yuuji. "I'll deal with you _later_."

He tried confronting Hinata again, but another, stronger pair of hands grabbed his wrist and held on tight, stopping him from advancing. He twirled around, initially infuriated, only for his expression to soften.

"H-_Honey_?"

Naotatsu's mother shook her head, her smooth, light-blue hair fluttering like a silk curtain. Hinata looked into her ocean-blue eyes and saw a familiar emotion shining from them.

"Yuuji-kun's right..." she said. "That's..." She glanced at Hinata. "That's _not_ our son."

"_What_?!" Her husband looked at Hinata. "But-"

"I know he looks _just_ like Naotatsu-kun, but I'm his _mother_." She stared deeply into Hinata's eyes. "I know my son when I see him...and that's not my son."

"Then..." Naotatsu's father looked at Hinata. "Then who-?"

"It doesn't matter who I am, sir," Hinata interrupted. "What matters now is that you get your family to safety. I think you have seen enough."

"But, wh-what about-?" began Yuuji.

"It doesn't _matter_ what you need to do, Yuuji-kun. My girl-" His voice choked. "M-My friend's already hurt... I-If Naotatsu were here, d'you think he'd want any of you to be caught up in this mess?"

Naotatsu's parents looked at one another. Then, once they silently came to an understanding, his father looked at Hinata with a regretful look on his face.

"We'll...We'll leave it to you, then..." he said.

"Please let us take care of your friend-" began Naotatsu's mother.

Hinata held onto Yui protectively. "No! I've got this! You take your husband and son and go find someplace that's safe to hide in!" He looked over his shoulder and saw the girl resembling Yusa supporting an unfamiliar-looking girl alongside the policeman who intervened. "I don't know how many more cultists are out there."

Naotatsu's mother looked at him apprehensively, her eyes scrutinizing Hinata's facial features, as if they were trying hard to search for anything that would make her feel distrustful. However, after a quick moment of contemplation, she took a single step back.

"Okay," the woman said. "We'll leave you and your friend, then. But you need to promise me one thing."

Hinata blinked. "And that is?"

An intense maternal concern swept her face. "Find my son. _Please_. I...I don't know what happened to him, o-or why you look _exactly_ like him, or _anything_ that's happening right now...but...you _have_ to find him! You have to..." Her voice broke slightly. "I've already lost one child in this life; I'm not about to lose anther! If you can't do that, if you can't p-pr-protect my son, th-then I-I'll have no choice but to call the police on you! Th-The _real_ police!"

As Hinata stared back at the woman, he couldn't help but feel a sensation of nostalgia creeping into his heart.

_"That woman,"_ he thought. _"She...She reminds me of _my_ mom. Huh. What're the odds...?"_

"Promise me you'll find my son!" Naotatsu's mother urged, breaking Hinata out of his slight reverie.

"Yes, yes, of course!" Then, Hinata calmed down and steadied his voice. "I promise, I'll find Naotatsu."

The woman gently bit her lower lip, but she delivered Hinata a soft smile. Then, she turned around and jogged up to her husband and younger son. The look on her face said it all to them, and the Yunokawa family made a run for it. However, after running a few feet, Yuuji stopped, turned around, and looked at Hinata one last time.

"G-Good luck!" he called.

Hinata simply nodded back at him. But before he could see the family off, he heard Yui's voice croaking out to him.

"Hinata! Hi-Hinata!"

He looked down at her. "It's okay, Yui. I'm-I'm here." He tried his best to give her a bright, optimistic smile, but he knew it was faltering. "I'm here. J-Just stay with me, okay?"

"I...I can't...feel anything..." moaned Yui, her voice barely able to restrain a sob. She looked up at the sky, her hot-pink eyes shimmering. "I can't feel the world...and you..." She hiccuped in horror. "I can't feel you, Hinata..."

"It's alright, Yui! You're alive, and that's all that matters!"

"Why is it happening again? _Why_? Why is it happening again? WHY IS IT HAPPENING AGAIN?!" All of a sudden, rage and hatred filled Yui's eyes, mixing in with her forming tears. "I don't wanna be baggage again, God! Why would you do this to me?! I've-I've only been in this world for a few hours and now...now I'm back to where I started?! WHY?! Is this some sick divine punishment for what Yumie did?! But I didn't DO anything! I did NOTHING to deserve this, God!" She gritted her teeth, one of the very few things she could do now. "I **HATE** YOU, GOD! I HATE YOU!"

"Don't say that, Yui-" Hinata began.

"Don't say that?! Don't say that?!" Finally, Yui broke down into tears. "How could you _say_ that to me, Hinata?! You...You don't know how it feels to be baggage!"

At first, Hinata stared at her helplessly. He couldn't bear to see the chipper, energetic girl he fell in love with back in the Afterlife be reduced to a jumbled mess of grief and loathing. Then, he remembered something and closed his eyes.

"You're wrong, Yui," he said.

This stopped Yui's outburst. "Wh..._What_...?"

"I _do_ know how it feels. Not personally...but emotionally. I know how it feels to be with someone who can't do what most women can. And yet, that is _exactly_ why I am in love with you. Remember..." Hinata opened his eyes and leaned his face towards hers. "I married you, after all."

_ **"Well, ** _ **I'll** _ ** marry you!"** _

Yui gasped, and she could feel her heart flutter. In that moment, she was back in the ballpark, standing on her two feet. The sunset painted her entire world in golden-orange. The heavy helmet and baseball bat were back on her head and in her hands, respectively. Like before, Hinata was standing closer to the benches, near the entrance to the ballpark.

Then, the boy walked up to her, each step powerful and evocative of his conviction.

"Remember what I said, Yui!" he declared. "I meant it before and I still mean it now! No matter what you were like or what you've done in your previous life, I'd still marry you today! No matter what type of terrible physical handicap you had!"

Love and passion swelled up within Yui's heart, stronger than ever before. She released a soft sigh and said in almost a whisper, "Say it again, Hinata. Please. Say those words again...just this once for me..."

Hinata knew what she was talking about, so he said, "Even if you couldn't stand and walk, even if you couldn't have kids! Even so...I'd still marry you. I WOULD!"

Yui's lips slowly but surely crawled upward into a joyful smile, one of complete fulfillment. Tears started to form from her eyes.

"I want to be with you forever and ever! The Yui _I_ know wouldn't despair from her condition. She wouldn't curse God for a handicap she could never have prevented. And most of all, she would never, EVER hate herself for not doing what any other girl could! You're _Yui_. No matter what, I still love you. I will cherish you, always. When this is all over, when we get Yuri's siblings back and we solve this crisis, I'll marry you, and I'll make you the happiest woman alive...but if only you'd say yes to me."

In the back of her mind, a part of Yui knew how impossible Hinata's promise was. But nevertheless, she allowed the joy and happiness to wash over her, ebbing away at the pain and terror of her near-total paralysis. Her mind was filled with thoughts of her future together with Hinata, even if it was going to be spent entirely in bed or a wheelchair.

_"Me and Hinata, together forever...no matter what..."_

"So," Hinata _said,_ his eyes glinting with conviction, "what do you say, Yui?"

Yui took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes. She was back in the middle of the street, in the arms of her beloved, the pain of her gunshot wound faint. She blocked out the sounds of the others approaching, of Hisako asking if she was alright, of someone with a familiarly condescending voice announcing some sort of update he got.

She stared straight into Hinata's eyes and replied, "Yes." A single tear fell from the corner of her eye. "I'll marry you. No, I...I _want_ to marry you, Hinata. No matter what."

* * *

**The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters**

"You're a monster..."

Kimiko slowly tore her eyes away from the security monitors, from the suffering her friends were enduring outside, and focused her sea-green pupils upon the person responsible.

Yamashita. She didn't know who he was...but even then, she felt nothing but absolute, unparalleled _hatred_ for him. She didn't think she could hate someone so much. She always thought her steadfast faith in God and her love for her family would keep her anchored in the rationality of reality. But clearly, her faith and her love weren't enough to safeguard her resolve. And now, there she was, looking upon the person who was eliciting such uncharacteristic feelings from the pit of her heart and soul.

"You're a _monster_..." she growled.

"No, no, my dear," Yamashita replied with a triumphant sneer. "Not a monster. Only a..._revolutionary_, just as Hashimoto-sama would've wanted."

"Your so-called sensei is nothing more than a self-centered sociopath who simply can't deal with reality!"

Yamashita's sneer became more pronounced. "Neither are you, apparently."

"What're you talking about?!"

Yamashita chuckled as if he told a joke that was only good to himself. This only served to irk Kimiko even further.

"ANSWER ME!" she shouted.

"Ohhhhh, I will, Nishimura. In due time. But first, just to make sure you're a good girl..."

He raised his left hand, brought the tip of his thumb together with his index finger...and snapped.

A split-second later, Kimiko felt a splitting pain erupting in the back of her head, overwhelming all five of her senses. The girl simply grunted as she fell to the floor, her body going hopelessly limp.

"NO!"

"KIMIKO-NEE!"

"ONEE-CHAN!"

But the horrified outcries of her siblings barely reached Kimiko's ears. She slowly craned her head towards them, and the last thing she saw was their helpless expressions before her vision blurred out into oblivion...

* * *

"So, what's the plan, Otonashi? What're we gonna do when we find Yuri?"

Otonashi stopped upon reaching the first door they saw in the access stairwell to the roof. With a sigh, he looked across his shoulder, where he saw Noda gently wiping the blade of his machete with his fingertips.

"Her name's _not_ Yuri, Noda," the redhead said. "Her name's _Kimiko_. We need to know the difference."

"Heh, you're one to talk, man," Noda replied nonchalantly as he continued cleaning the blade. Then, he paused and shot Otonashi a look. "You know, you're pretty much talking to my reincarnated self right now, yet you're referring to him as Noda."

"That's 'cause you're Noda right now, not Noriya."

"Yeah, but this is still Noriya's body."

Otonashi opened his mouth to retort, but then, he began to fully process Noda's words. Then, he crossed his arms.

"Hey, since _when_ were you a philosopher?" he asked.

"Ha ha ha," Noda drawled in response. "The fact that I don't know what that word means tells me you're in denial about your own hypocrisy."

"_You_ don't even know what 'hypocrisy' means!" Then, Otonashi shook his head and looked back towards the door. "Look, let's forget about this. When we find _Kimiko_, we're gonna have to lure her guards away. Once we do that-"

"But won't that tip off that Yamashita guy that something's wrong?" asked Noda.

"...Yeah, that's true... Shit."

Noda twirled his machete around with a gleeful grin. "I say we let those punks _lead_ us to Yamashita, and once he's in a vulnerable position, the two of us can kick his sorry bitch-ass!"

"And risk harming Kimiko and her siblings? Remember, he's got a bunch of guys to back him up."

"Ah. Then, correction..." Noda aimed his weapon at the doorway. "_I'll_ kick all of their sorry bitch-asses, while _you_ get Yuri and the kids outta there!"

"Yeah..." deadpanned Otonashi while memories of a certain purple-haired boy being hit by a pendulum plagued his mind. "Something tells me you're gonna die. We gotta come up with a better plan-"

"Coming up with plans is for the weak, man!" Noda promptly kicked the door open. "If we're gonna take names and kick ass, then we do that first and ask questions after! Now, let's bring it on, bitches! Noda's ready for you dumbasses!"

"WAIT!" Otonashi cried.

But it was too late, for Noda had begun running down the hallway, his machete at the ready. With a sharp exhale and a cursory facepalm, Otonashi began running after his fellow SSS member.

_"Even if he's in a new body, he's still a goddamn idiot..."_

* * *

_"Where...Where am I...?"_

Kimiko blinked once for what seemed like the second time. She was standing back in the hallway of an unfamiliar house, painted in bright orange from a setting Sun. For some reason, everything around her was slightly larger than usual, and there was a tense, unsettling aura enveloping the entire place. It was as if her body was telling her she shouldn't be here...and yet, her heart was telling her she was already here before...

_"Where...Where _am _I...?"_ she thought. Then, a wave of déjà vu swept over her. _"Wait a minute..."_

"ONEE-CHAN!"

The three voices shouted in unison, lightly startling Kimiko. She twirled around and saw...

"Naomi?" she asked. "Tamika? Kaisei-chan?"

It _was_ her three younger siblings. But...they looked younger in the literal sense. Naomi's hair wasn't even dyed black like in the present day; instead, it shared the same magenta hue as Kimiko's.

"ONEE-CHAN!" Their faces were filled with fear. "HELP US!"

In an instant, it all returned to Kimiko. She knew _exactly_ where she was...and what to expect.

As expected, she saw the shadowy tentacles hovering in the air, towering ominously behind her siblings' heads...but this time, they weren't holding knives. Instead, the tips of the appendages had morphed into horrible-looking rifle barrels.

"NO!" Kimiko screamed, her voice coming out like a little girl's.

"You're the oldest," a mighty voice snarled. "Don't you know where your parents keep important things? Things your parents told you to always take care of _real_ good? Things to give robbers to make 'em _leave_? They told you wild stuff like that, _right_?"

Kimiko started sweating bullets. "I-Im-Important things?!" she squeaked timidly in response. "B-But...I-I don't know-"

"Now go look for it!" the voice interrupted. "If I don't like what you show me, I'm afraid I'll have to take your siblings from you one by one!"

"_WHAT_?! NO!"

"One dies every ten minutes unless you bring me _something_!"

"NO! I...I don't what you would consider valuable-"

"Tough luck, kiddo."

All of a sudden, the rifle-tentacles began firing, and all Kimiko could see were three different bursts of red liquid flying at her-

* * *

"HUUUUUAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!"

Kimiko opened her eyes for a split-second before they were greeted by the biting of freezing water with ice cubes inside. The magenta-haired girl screwed her eyes shut and shook her head to get as much of the water off of her. Unfortunately, it had already begun to plaster the top of her shirt to her chest, the chilly temperatures of the clear liquid bringing all five of her senses at rapt attention. Before long, her entire body began to tremble badly from the water clinging stubbornly to her skin and clothes.

"Ah," a familiar voice greeted, his cheerful tone contrasting Kimiko's dark, disconcerting surroundings. "It's _sooo_ good to have you back with us, Nishimura."

Kimiko's initial response was an impulsive shudder from the cold water. Then, once her body became accustomed to the temperatures, she looked around, her eyes slowly widening open.

Once her sights were adjusted, she saw Naomi, Tamika, and Kaisei a few feet away from her, still bound to their chairs. A look of terror united their expressions, a look that reminded Kimiko of her nightmare...or _Yuri's_ nightmare...

Feeling her gut drop, Kimiko looked up and saw Yamashita towering behind her sisters and brother. She instinctively tried to make a move toward them, but the restriction of her movements told her she was bound to a chair of her own. Kimiko tried to resist even further, but a twitch of Yamashita's wrist convinced her to stop.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned, his voice still friendly and gentle. "There's still...a _lot_ that I wish to discuss with you."

"Stop it," she growled savagely. "Get away from them, you freak!"

"Oh, my dear, dear Nishimura. There's no need for such aggression-"

"After all that I've been through, the time for cordiality has long passed. You're delusional if you think it hasn't, you...you bastard."

Yamashita shook his head and tutted. "You treat me like the enemy, Nishimura..." The man's smirk widened as he patted the flinching Kaisei on the head with his left hand. "You act as if all this was _my_ fault, and the fault of my dearly departed sensei. But..." He patted Kaisei on the cheek with the same hand. "Why do you think you're here in the first place? Now, Hashimoto-sama didn't just choose to mess with you and your family for the hell of it."

"From what I gather at this point, he targeted me and my family because I insulted him. Plain and simple."

"Ah. Well, if that is so, Nishimura..." Yamashita proceeded to stroke Tamika's hair with his left hand, while she squeaked in terror. "Then he wouldn't have wasted precious resources on just you, now am I right?"

Kimiko gritted her teeth bitterly. "I'm not able to read the mind of a deranged psycho, if that's what you were expecting me to do."

"Then allow me to do the honors." Finally, Yamashita moved on to Naomi but didn't do a thing to touch her. "The reason why you and your siblings are in this debacle together is all because..."

Kimiko's eyes widened in terror. She could see Yamashita's right hand finally moving, and in it was a 9mm silver Beretta 92FS Brigadier Inox pistol.

"You just couldn't turn a blind eye."

"T-Tu-Turn a blind eye?!" Kimiko exclaimed. "Wh-What're you talking about?!"

"Oh, don't play dumb. We know _exactly_ what your plans for us were...and to be perfectly honest, you were really stupid, Nishimura, for getting yourself and a bunch of other kids involved."

"I don't have the slightest clue on what you're talking about!"

"Do you now? Because, if I can recall, Hashimoto-sama mentioned receiving..._interesting_ news from one of our younger and more impressionable members. Something about, oh, a certain girl and her little wannabe school club wanting to dig into our business?"

Kimiko opened her mouth, prepared to issue a denial...but her voice failed to come out of her mouth. Instead, her lower jaw remained slack as a memory returned to her.

_ **"Her brother is with that cult."** _

_ **"What? Ginga? No way. That's not true, right guys? ...G-** _ **Guys** _ **?"** _

_ **"It's true, Kimiko."** _

_ **"What?! You're joking, right?!"** _

_ **"Does it look like we are?"** _

_ **"Yumie, is...is this true?!"** _

"Ginga..." she said, almost to herself. "Yumie-chan's brother..."

Yamashita's eyes lit up. "Ahhhhh, so I assume you've uncovered his true affiliation. Then, I assume you know what that exactly means for your so-called club activities."

Kimiko didn't respond. Instead, the gears in her mind began to whir as she started putting two and two together. As the seconds passed, her heart hammered faster and faster against her sternum from the startling revelation.

_ **"** _ ** _See, this is another problem I have with the news. Practically everyone knew way before we did that the cosmetics company was conducting illegal experiments, but the media continued to stick up for the bad guy. And history's now repeating itself with the story of the psycho cult! Too many unnecessary details of their crimes, this apparent fascination with whatever they're worshiping, and sensationalist rhetoric! And it's gone on for too long! Therefore, I suggest we make the public aware of this! Who's with me?"_ **

_ **"Well, just because I said it couldn't be done doesn't mean I didn't want to try anymore. Anyway, I noticed from the protests made against Sadahiro Hashimoto and his company were made, the participants always seem to be the average citizen. Nobodies, in other words. But if the public hears a voice from someone on the inside of the company, then maybe the argument will gain some credibility, and more people will begin to listen and stand up against the company."** _

"He's...He's been _spying_ on me? While I was-?!"

"Infiltrating Hashimoto Communications?" interrupted Yamashita. "Yes, he certainly he was. And he did it with the utmost pride and confidence in his beliefs. Hashimoto-sama was impressed by his convenient position, as was I. I was prepared to take him as my protege. That is, until things went south unexpectedly quickly, but I digress. Anyway, Hashimoto-sama decided to play along with your little game at first, hence the hospitality he showed to you in addition to your friends. He was confident that you, a little girl, wouldn't get that far in such an independent, amateur investigation."

"And I didn't," spat Kimiko.

Yamashita smirked. "Not from what I heard from Hashimoto-sama."

"Wh-What're you talking about?! I swear, I didn't _find_ anything when I was staying at his place! I only first learned about your sick, sick scheme when Chouko got kidnapped and Takahashi decided to rescue her!"

"His personal report logs beg to differ. According to them..."

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, which Kimiko noticed had some some of image printed on it. Yamashita raised it in front of his face and began reading.

"You've had an..._interesting_ discussion with his secretary. Takane Toro." Yamashita peered over the paper. "I'm sure you remember her."

Kimiko's eyes widened with horror. "T-_Toro-san_?!" she impulsively blurted out.

"Ahhh, yes. _Her_. Hashimoto-sama was _most_ curious about what she had to say to you."

The magenta-haired girl narrowed her eyes. "Well, I'd hate to disappoint you, but she didn't say _anything_ to me."

"Are you sure about that, my dear?"

Yamashita snapped his fingers again, and the pale-green lighting of the room changed suddenly, turning brighter. Kimiko looked across her right shoulder and saw that the security monitors were showing an old recording of two people in the lobby. She immediately recognized herself, looking at the young, petite woman with blue hair and wearing a formal suit. The angle of the recording suggested that the camera was positioned in some sort of corner, in plain view of anyone and everyone who knew where to look.

_**"Yes, Kimiko-chan?"**_ the woman asked. _**"Is there anything you need from me?"**_

_ **"Yes."** _

The past Kimiko looked around to see if anyone else was listening. When she looked directly into the camera, she moved her position subtly to prevent the camera from reading her lips. However, the present-day Kimiko realized in that horrible moment how futile such a countermove was, since the camera was still able to record her voice, and that of the woman.

_ **"Do you... Do you have any idea if Sadahiro keeps any files on the company for himself?"** _

_ **"He should. After all, he runs Hashimoto Communications. He should have access to his own personal stash of files."** _

_ **"Do you have any idea where they are?"** _

The secretary's eyes widened in surprise. _**"Me? Know Hashimoto-sensei's **_**personal files **_**are located? Heh. Fat chance. I'm just his secretary. I've been on the job for only a few months. I definitely do not know where in the world he could keep personal files. I would guess it'd have to be somewhere personal to him, though. ...****Why do you wanna know, Kimiko-chan?"**_

_**"Oh, nothing. Just curious. Never know what exactly I will learn."**_ The past Kimiko turned around and, after a couple of seconds, frowned, muttering to herself, _**"Oh, I'm so gonna get you, you stuck-up bastard..."**_

_ **"Kimiko-chan?"** _

The past Kimiko turned around to look at the secretary. _**"Yes, Toro-san?"**_ she replied.

Kimiko then saw how her past self stiffened slightly at the woman's suspicious glare.

_ **"Why are you here?"** _

_ **"Excuse me?"** _

_ **"Why exactly are you participating in Hashimoto-sensei's new program?"** _

_ **"Oh, I was just curious on how the world of business goes on about. I was thinking about going into business, actually-"** _

_ **"Kimiko-chan, I grew up with four older brothers who loved to cause trouble. I learned a few things from them. Including knowing whenever someone is lying..."** _

The past Kimiko stiffened even more, and Toro's eyes suddenly became narrow.

_ **"You know, I remember a news report about this high-school club called the Global Awareness Club. A ragtag bunch of teenage activists, if I remember the words of the reporters correctly. They were protesting the illegal experiments of that cosmetics company that's now shut down..."** _

There was a horrible, awkward pause. The past Kimiko looked ready to flee then and there.

_**"Kimiko-chan,"**_ continued Toro, _**"I know why you're here."**_

_ **"You...You ** _ **do** _ **?..."** _

_ **"Yes. From the moment I first saw you. I can definitely remember the face of that headstrong leader who was making all of those determined speeches for that club. I only remained silent because I wasn't sure if I was dealing with a lookalike. But the moment you asked me about Hashimoto-sensei's personal files, I just knew. ...** _ _ **I'm betting you're now wondering what I'm going to do, now that I know your little secret. ** _ _ **Kimiko Nishimura."** _

_ **"Are...Are you gonna report me?..."** _

_ **"No."** _

_ **"W-Wh-** _ **What** _**?** **You're not gonna report me?"**_

Toro nodded. _**"Yes. You have my word, Kimiko-chan, that I won't report you."**_

_ **"W-Why?"** _

Toro glanced directly into the camera, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. _**"I can't answer that. Not here. It's a potentially sensitive matter."**_ She looked back at the past Kimiko. _**"We'll meet after your appointment with Hashimoto-sensei. When we do, I'll give you a time and place to meet up. It'll be then when I tell you everything I know."**_

At first, the past Kimiko didn't say anything. Then, with a voice filled with determination, she replied, _**"You got it, Toro-san."**_

Toro nodded and replied, _**"I'll see you later, Kimiko-chan. Oh, and please stay quiet about our conversation. You know why."**_

_ **"Don't worry. I will."** _

Toro turned around and silently pressed the button to summon the elevator. Meanwhile, the past Kimiko looked towards another direction, and Kimiko's present-day self knew she had been looking at Sadahiro Hashimoto in that moment. She also knew how giddy she felt that day, giddy with the knowledge that everything was finally turning in her favor.

_**"I finally got you,"**_ the past Kimiko whispered excitedly to herself, although the voice was somehow captured by the camera's audio features. _**"Oh, I finally got you. What the hell are you hiding, you stuck-up bastard?"**_

The recording paused on Kimiko's triumphant, elated mask. The present-day Kimiko slowly glanced at Yamashita, whose face was staring her down, his inquisitive eyes boring deep through her sea-green eyes, as if it was trying to dig out any useful information from her brain.

"Did you _really_ think you'd just slip by Hashimoto-sama's watchful eyes and pull the rug from under his feet?" he asked.

"W-Well," Kimiko snarled through clenched teeth, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I never got to have that meeting with Toro-san. Our conversation happened the day before your bastard of a sensei staged that attack on his own house so he could win some sympathy points from the public."

"I'm well aware of the timeline, Nishimura. But my awareness ends _after_ you and your friends were taken to the hospital. You see, we lost track of Toro-san after the attack. Our sources in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department weren't able to find any trace of her in the city."

"_Wow_..." Kimiko rolled her eyes sardonically. "After all the crap you put me and my family and friends through, you could not find _one_ little secretary. Who would've thunk you madmen are all bark and no bite?"

Yamashita's confident look slipped away from his face. With a twitching eyelid, he approached Kimiko, his step quick and predatory. The girl hitched her breath at the manic look in her captor's face, just before he raised his Beretta and used it to pistol-whip her.

"AGH!"

A white-hot flash of pain went through Kimiko's forehead, and she could barely hear her siblings crying out for her. Then, once the pain subsided, she looked up into Yamashita's face.

"Laugh it up all you want, Nishimura," he snarled. "I can assure you we put in all the resources we had at our disposal to find Takane Toro. However, it seems like you may have put your trust in the wrong person."

"I put my trust in the wrong person? What're you talking about?"

Yamashita looked off somewhere and nodded. At the cue, one of the security monitor images was magnified to fully show Toro's face. This was accompanied by an image of Toro's ID card for Hashimoto Communications. Kimiko glanced towards the ID, only to become stunned when she found herself looking into the photo of a middle-aged woman with red hair.

"The Takane Toro you were talking to _wasn't_ the Takane Toro Hashimoto had in his personnel file. Our police source gave the real Toro a visit, and she appears to have been the victim of identity theft, targeted because she was seeking out the same secretarial position. Whoever this woman is, she certainly wasn't willing to divulge her true identity to anyone."

Kimiko blinked with surprise before refocusing on Yamashita. "L-Look, I had no idea she was an impostor. And I certainly didn't know what her agenda was in all of this."

"Oh, I believe you, Nishimura. I believe you."

"L-Lo-Look, wh-what does that have to do with me and my siblings?!"

"Hashimoto may not have prioritized Toro as a threat to our operations, but..." Yamashita backtracked towards Kimiko's siblings. "As his secretary, Toro may have seen something she shouldn't have. The fact that she was willing to meet with you in secret, plus the fact that no one's seen hide or hair of her, tells us that much. And if you did indeed meet her after the Hashimoto Manor incident-"

"I did NOT!" Kimiko snapped. "I told you, she didn't say anything to me, and that's because the last time I saw her was in that lobby!"

"You see, that...is where I have a hard time believing you, Nishimura." Yamashita began pacing behind Kimiko's siblings. "We did not catch her infiltration until it was too late. Who knows where she could be right now? She's had a good head-start on us...and if she has that advantage, then that means she's had every opportunity to have that meeting with you."

"But she DIDN'T, you idiot!" Then, Kimiko remembered something. "You have spies in the police department, don't you?! Why don't you ask _them_ to help you out?!"

"Their investigations yielded no fruit. No matches on any facial recognition scans, no strange credit card uses that would match her timeline, no unusual movements during her employment with Hashimoto-sama, nothing. And luck was on her side. We tried planting spies in your protection detail, but Sergeant Madoka Igarashi just _had_ to be in charge of you and your pathetic friends. Such deep-seated trust issues. If only we got rid of him sooner..."

Yamashita tapped his side impatiently. "Toro's worked hard to cover her tracks. And if she is at a safe distance from the country, then she'll be able to blow the lid off of everything we worked so hard to achieve."

The girl gritted her teeth. "Well, then good for her."

Yamashita stopped and stared into the security monitors. "_But_...if Toro's going to have a head-start on us, then we must be ahead of the curve if Japan is to experience its glorious, prosperous future. Which is why I want to know..." He slowly turned his head towards Kimiko, the glint in his eye bright. "What. Did. Toro. _Tell_ you?"

"I TOLD YOU!" Kimiko shrieked in outrage. "I **NEVER** GOT TO HAVE THAT MEETING WITH HER! THE LAST TIME WE SAW EACH OTHER IS ALL ON THAT RECORDING!"

Yamashita pursed his lips nastily. "You see, since you're such a goody-two-shoes who has to think of the greater good...I don't believe you, Nishimura." He shook his head. "For the sake of Hashimoto-sama's vision...I really don't."

"WELL, YOU **HAVE** TO, YOU...YOU GODDAMN **LUNATIC**!"

But Yamashita didn't listen to her. Instead, with a callous shrug, he raised the barrel of his pistol and aimed it directly at the back of Kaisei's head. The boy gasped and squirmed in terror while Kimiko to hold back a horrified gasp.

"No!" she squeaked, her voice coming out like a little girl's.

"You're the oldest," Yamashita snarled mightily. "And I am sure your parents taught you the safety of your siblings must be your top priority. That you must always take care of them _really_ good. Important shit like that."

"Please don't hurt them!" Kimiko rasped in mad desperation. "_Please_! I'll do _anything_..."

Yamashita arched an eyebrow with amusement. "_Anything_, you say? Like giving me important information? Information that'll give me an excuse to let you and your siblings go? Important stuff like that, _right_?"

Kimiko started sweating bullets. She knew she did not have the information Yamashita was seeking, but he and his allies were clearly unconvinced. If she didn't give them something, something that could be proven, then she would be spelling the doom for all of her siblings. And yet, she truly had nothing to give. Yamashita was mistaken to believe she was hiding something for her own agenda.

Her thoughts were dispelled by a disapproving click.

"You'll tell me what I need to know _now_," Yamashita said. "If you don't, I'm afraid I'll have to take all of the..._necessary_ precautions. I will take your siblings from you one by one!"

Kimiko felt her world crumble apart all around her. "_WHAT_?! NO!"

"One dies every ten seconds unless you spill your guts. _Ten_."

"NO!" Kimiko shrieked, while Kaisei started to cry and struggle against his bonds. "NO, PLEASE! DON'T **DO** THIS!"

"_Nine_."

* * *

** _"It's just too unfair."_ **

* * *

"NO, PLEASE! DON'T **DO** THIS!"

"Yo, Otonashi!" Noda shouted while stopping in the middle of a Y-shaped hallway intersection. "I heard Yuri!"

"You did?!" Otonashi cried, stopping as well.

"Yeah, I can never forget that voice!" The purple-haired delinquent looked from one hall to another frantically. "I think it came from...that way!"

"I swear to God, if your sense of hearing is as idiotic as your brain is..."

But Otonashi followed Noda as the two boys dashed down the right hallway.

* * *

"Okay, okay!" Kimiko shrieked while sweat dripped onto her face. "I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"

But Yamashita's expression refused to waver. "Better speak quickly, Nishimura. _Eight_."

* * *

_ **"** _ ** _We never did anything wrong; we were just kids."_ **

* * *

Otonashi and Noda came across a T-intersection in the hallway. Otonashi looked down the left hall, while Noda looked at the right.

"Which way, man?!" exclaimed Otonashi.

* * *

"T-To-Toro-san..." Kimiko felt as if her whole head was drenched. "Sh-She and I, w-w-we met a-at the...the, uh..."

Kimiko began sweating even more, her brain struggling to come up with a convincing lie. But Yamashita wasn't having it.

"_Seven_."

* * *

**_"We were just _kids_."_**

* * *

"I think it came from that way!"

Noda rushed down the hallway to the left and was quickly followed by Otonashi.

* * *

The first beads of sweat dripped onto her collar. "Could you PLEASE lower the gun first?!"

"And give you an advantage. I think not. _Six_."

* * *

_ **"** _ ** _I was confident I was the cool big sister up until that day."_ **

* * *

Otonashi soon picked up the pace and was now running alongside Noda. They could both see a doorway ahead, a deathly green light peering through it from underneath.

* * *

"OKAY, **OKAY**!" Kimiko's collar was completely wet now. "T-To-Toro-san said she, uh, found out where exactly all of your nukes were going!"

"Keep going. _Five_."

* * *

_ **"** _ ** _But I lost everything I wanted to protect in 30 minutes."_ **

* * *

Pretty soon, Otonashi was running ahead of Noda. He cocked his gun in preparation.

* * *

"I-I don't KNOW!" At this point, Kimiko's face was rosy and shining with sweat. "She didn't elaborate-"

"You never asked for specifics?" Yamashita sneered. "No, I doubt it. You'd never let that kind of info slide. _Four_."

* * *

** _"That's too unfair."_ **

* * *

Otonashi was panting as he neared the door. For some reason, he felt as if the force of gravity was pulling him back, like the Universe was actively trying to stop him from bursting in. His distance from the door only seemed to grow and grow with every step he took.

* * *

"PLEASE! I-I **SWEAR**!" A small part of Kimiko's brain realized it wasn't just sweat that was dripping down her cheeks. "I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ELSE!"

Yamashita huffed defiantly. "I _really_ don't like being played with, Nishimura."

"WHY WOULD I HOLD SOMETHING LIKE THIS BACK FROM YOU WHEN MY SIBLINGS' LIVES ARE IN **DANGER**?!"

"I don't know. Some misplaced sense of self-righteousness? Well, I think it's time I straightened out that sense." With a manic grin, Yamashita pressed the barrel into Kaisei's head as he sobbed. "FOURTHREETWOONE!"

**"NOOOOO!"**

_ **BANG!** _

* * *

_ **"** _ ** _How could I ever forgive God for that?"_ **

* * *

_ **ACTIVATING_SECONDARY_** _ ** _PROTOCOL_ **

_ **ACTIVATING_SECONDARY_** _ ** _PROTOCOL_ **

_ **ACTIVATING_SECONDARY_** _ ** _PROTOCOL_ **

_ **ACTIVATING_SECONDARY_** _ ** _PROTOCOL_ **

_ **ACTIVATING_SECONDARY_** _ ** _PROTOCOL_ **

** _SECONDARY_PROTOCOL_ACTIVATED_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GASP! Now THAT was quite a crazy ending! To be perfectly honest, I was itching to write that scene for the LONGEST time. When I first came up with this fic, this was one of the very first scenes that I knew should be included in here: this excuse for Kimiko to go through the trauma that Yuri experienced in her lifetime. But did history really just repeat itself? Or did something else happen to shift Kimiko's fate away from Yuri's trajectory? Find out in the next chapter!
> 
> Oh, and yes, Yui is paralyzed again, just like she was in her old life. This is truly a sadistic chapter, wasn't it? Again, that was another scene that I came up with early in the production. In all, I feel like this is a chapter that I truly, truly wanted to write when it all came down to it.
> 
> Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


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